Confused by DV, OV, and EV SSL Certificates? This Article Will Clear It All Up

First, Let's Clarify What SSL Certificates Actually Do

Before diving into DV/OV/EV, let's quickly run through the basics of SSL certificates.

An SSL certificate (technically called a TLS certificate today, though "SSL" stuck) serves two core purposes:

1. Encrypting communication: It turns the data traveling between your browser and the server into ciphertext — unreadable and untamperable by anyone in the middle.

2. Proving identity: It tells users "this website really is who it claims to be," rather than a phishing site pretending to be it.