What is TLS/SSL?

TLS and its predecessor SSL are protocols that encrypt data as it travels between your browser and a website. They keep logins, payments, and private conversations hidden from eavesdroppers.

When a site uses HTTPS, TLS negotiates a secure channel by verifying certificates and exchanging encryption keys. Once the tunnel is established, your public IP still routes the traffic, but the contents remain confidential.

TLS also protects against tampering by ensuring the response you receive really came from the intended server. Most modern browsers display a lock icon to signal that TLS is active.

You can use IPLookup.help to check the public IP attached to those TLS sessions, which is helpful when verifying the source of secure requests or when correlating logs that record the exposed address.