Why DCNF uses HTTPS via Let’s Encrypt

All DCNF web services either use HTTPS or are being transitioned to HTTPS.

The US government’s HTTPS-only standard and Google’s “Why HTTPS Matters” describe how HTTPS enables increased website privacy, security, and integrity in general. ISPs, home routers, and antivirus software have all been caught modifying HTTP traffic, for example, which HTTPS hinders. HTTPS also increases Google’s search ranking and, via HTTP/2, decreases website loading time.

Somewhat more forcefully, Chrome 56 will warn users of non-HTTPS login forms, as does Firefox 50 beta and according to schedule, will Firefox 51. This will become important, for example, for the currently-under-maintenance DCBase forums.

Beyond the obvious advantages of not costing money, Let’s Encrypt provides important reduced friction versus alternatives in automatically and therefore scalably managing certificates for multiple subdomains, as well as ameliorating certificate revocation and security-at-rest importance and thereby HTTPS management overhead by such automation allowing more shorter-lived certificates and more rapid renewal. Additionally, as crypto algorithms gain and lose favor, such quick renewals catalyze agility. These HTTPS, in general, and Let’s Encrypt, specifically, advantages have led to adopting HTTPS using Let’s Encrypt.