SSL uses a cryptographic system with a pair of keys for each user (one pair for the server and one for the client). One key—a public key—is known to everyone; the second key—a private or secret key—is known only to the recipient of the message.

Communication between the client (browser or email client) and the server (station) begins with a handshake during which the sockets agree on the keys and other parameters. NiagaraAX uses the keys to encrypt and decrypt the shared information.

By convention, URLs that use an SSL connection start with “https:” instead of “http:”.