ENGLISH
REFERENCE

TLS

n.
C2 Proficiency Web Development
Definition

n. Stands for Transport Layer Security. It is a digital safety system that protects information sent over the internet, like your passwords or credit card numbers.

n. Abbreviation for Transport Layer Security. A cryptographic protocol designed to provide communications security over a computer network, succeeding the older SSL protocol.


SIMPLE

The website uses TLS to keep your login details safe.

CONTEXTUAL

When you see a padlock icon in your browser's address bar, it usually means the connection is secured by TLS.

COMPLEX

Modern web browsers require the latest versions of TLS to ensure that data remains encrypted and protected against interception by unauthorized third parties.

Origin

An initialism of transport layer security. The term was introduced in 1999 to denote the successor to the Secure Sockets Layer protocol.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Usage

Often used as a noun phrase or as a modifier before other nouns like 'protocol' or 'encryption'.

Last updated July 22, 2026