HTTPS Performance Tuning

January 01th, 2009 - 12:41PM

An often overlooked aspect of web performance tuning is the effect of using the HTTPS protocol to create a secure web site. As applications move from the desktop onto the web, the need for security and privacy means that HTTPS is now heavily used by web sites that need to be responsive enough for every day use. The tips shown below may help you to avoid some of the common performance and development problems encountered on sites using HTTPS: Tip #1: Use Keep-Alive Connections Whenever a browser accesses a web site it must create one or more TCP connections. That … Continue reading →

Fixing the ‘Do you want to display nonsecure items’ message

April 04th, 2008 - 11:47AM

Have you ever been to a web site and seen this? This warning is triggered in IE if it is displaying a secure HTTPS page that has caused a non-secure (i.e. HTTP based) resource to be downloaded. The message box doesn’t allow the user to control whether the non-secure content should be downloaded, only whether it should be displayed.  This seems rather pointless as the damage may already have been done if the non-secure content was a picture of your passport, bank statement or credit card! However, this is the default setting in IE so it is best to avoid this warning being generated on … Continue reading →