HTTP and HTTPS protocols in Intro to Computing - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to specify the protocol used in a URL.

Intro to Computing

url = "[1]://www.example.com"

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ahttp

Bfile

Cftp

Dsmtp

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'ftp' which is for file transfers, not web pages.

Using 'smtp' which is for email sending.

The http protocol is used for standard web communication without encryption.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to specify the secure protocol used in a URL.

Intro to Computing

secure_url = "[1]://www.secure-site.com"

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ahttp

Bftp

Chttps

Dtelnet

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing 'http' which is not secure.

Choosing 'ftp' which is unrelated to web security.

The https protocol is the secure version of HTTP, encrypting data between browser and server.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to check if a URL uses HTTPS.

Intro to Computing

if url.startswith("[1]"):
    print("Secure connection")

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ahttps://

Bftp://

Chttp://

Dfile://

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Checking for 'http://' which is not secure.

Using unrelated protocols like 'ftp://' or 'file://'.

To check for a secure connection, the URL must start with https://.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a simple flowchart step that checks protocol and prints the result.

Intro to Computing

if url.startswith("[1]"):
    print("[2] connection")

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ahttps://

BSecure

Chttp://

DInsecure

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'http://' for secure check.

Printing 'Insecure connection' when the URL is secure.

The code checks if the URL starts with https:// and prints Secure connection if true.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a dictionary comprehension that maps URLs to their security status.

Intro to Computing

status = {url: "[1]" if url.startswith("[2]") else "[3]" for url in urls}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ASecure

Bhttps://

CInsecure

Dhttp://

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up 'http://' and 'https://'.

Using wrong labels for security status.

This dictionary comprehension labels URLs as Secure if they start with https://, otherwise Insecure.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

easy

A. HTTPS encrypts data while HTTP does not

B. HTTP encrypts data while HTTPS does not

C. HTTP is faster because it uses encryption

D. HTTPS is only used for email communication

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand HTTP basics

   HTTP is a protocol used for communication between browsers and websites without encryption.

2. Step 2: Understand HTTPS security

   HTTPS adds encryption to protect data during transmission, making it secure.

3. Final Answer:

   HTTPS encrypts data while HTTP does not -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Encryption = HTTPS [OK]

Hint: HTTPS means secure, HTTP does not [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing which protocol encrypts data
• Thinking HTTP is secure by default
• Believing HTTPS is only for emails

2. Which of the following is the correct way to write a URL using HTTPS?

easy

A. http://www.example.com

B. htpps://www.example.com

C. htp://www.example.com

D. https://www.example.com

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct HTTPS syntax

   The correct prefix for secure websites is https:// with 'https' fully spelled and followed by '://'.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   https://www.example.com matches the correct syntax exactly; others have typos or use HTTP.

3. Final Answer:

   https://www.example.com -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Correct HTTPS URL = https://www.example.com [OK]

Hint: HTTPS URLs start with 'https://' exactly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Typing 'htp' or 'htpps' instead of 'https'
• Using 'http' instead of 'https' for secure sites
• Missing the '://' after the protocol

3. Consider this simplified flowchart of a browser requesting a webpage:



If the protocol is HTTPS, what extra step happens during the 'Browser sends request' phase?

medium

A. The browser encrypts the request before sending

B. The browser sends the request without encryption

C. The browser skips sending the request

D. The browser sends the request twice

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze HTTPS request process

   HTTPS requires encrypting data before sending it to protect privacy.

2. Step 2: Compare options with HTTPS behavior

   Only The browser encrypts the request before sending describes encryption before sending, which matches HTTPS protocol.

3. Final Answer:

   The browser encrypts the request before sending -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Encryption before sending = The browser encrypts the request before sending [OK]

Hint: HTTPS encrypts data before sending [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking HTTPS sends data unencrypted
• Assuming browser sends request twice
• Believing browser skips sending request

4. A developer wrote this code snippet to fetch a webpage securely:

fetch('http://secure-site.com/data')

What is the main problem here?

medium

A. The URL is missing a domain extension

B. The fetch function is misspelled

C. The URL uses HTTP instead of HTTPS

D. The code is missing a semicolon

Solution

1. Step 1: Check URL protocol

   The URL uses http:// which is not secure for sensitive data.

2. Step 2: Identify correct secure protocol

   To fetch data securely, the URL should start with https://.

3. Final Answer:

   The URL uses HTTP instead of HTTPS -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Secure fetch needs HTTPS URL [OK]

Hint: Secure fetch requires HTTPS URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring the protocol difference
• Thinking semicolon is mandatory in JavaScript fetch
• Assuming fetch is misspelled

5. You want to ensure a website always uses HTTPS even if a user types HTTP. Which method should you use?

hard

A. Disable HTTP protocol on the user's browser

B. Set up a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS on the server

C. Use HTTP for all pages and HTTPS only for login

D. Ask users to manually type HTTPS every time

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand how to enforce HTTPS

   Redirecting HTTP requests to HTTPS ensures all traffic is secure automatically.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Disabling HTTP on user browsers or manual typing is impractical; partial HTTPS use is insecure.

3. Final Answer:

   Set up a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS on the server -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Redirect HTTP to HTTPS = Set up a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS on the server [OK]

Hint: Use server redirect to force HTTPS [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking users must type HTTPS manually
• Believing disabling HTTP on browsers is feasible
• Using HTTP for some pages weakens security