SSL problem for catalog

[Go Micro]

Securing entire site. Quick, related question. If I want to secure my 'entire' site can this be done by directing the 'catalogue' http_server to the 'catalogue' https_server?
I have already done this for admin as per support thread.

https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/index.php?article=14

[Kim]

First - your post was moved to a thread of its own as your question had nothing to do with the original topic.

Next - Why would you think you need to run the whole catalog under SSL?

[Go Micro]

I have had some friends and people having a look at my site who have asked me why the 'padlock' only appears on certain places.
I have explained that it's only needed on 'data entry' pages, pointless elsewhere. I've also directed them to where I have covered it in FAQ's.
It's not something I am considering doing, more a matter of curiosity whether it could be done and if it would be likely to create problems.
I've been reading the forums and support topics for a few months and have seen this 'touched' on but It has left me unsure. Sorry if question was inappropriate.

[DrByte]

When you have SSL available and configure Zen Cart to use it, Zen Cart specifically switches into and out of "padlock" or "SSL" or "HTTPS" mode automatically for pages that require it. This is normal for advanced ecommerce systems.

The only time you would ever need to make the entire storefront run under SSL is if you are intending to display sensitive information on EVERY page. So if you're a divorce attorney or something and inviting people to write their secrets into legal documents online and then display that back to them on every page, in that case it might make sense to protect every page with SSL. Otherwise doing so just puts more drain on server resources, slows down customer browsing, confuses search engines, and generally makes your website look amateurish to those in the know. (No offense intended in that statement ... just stating facts.)

Recommendation: use a Dedicated SSL certificate (ie: one that matches the same domain name as your store, not one shared from your hosting company), and let Zen Cart provide the needed protection on pages which require it.