[Techtalk] SSL and name-based virtual hosting

[Cynthia Kiser]

Quoting Katie Bechtold <katie at katie-and-rob.org>:

> What is it about the SSL protocol that is incompatible with
> name-based virtual hosting?

The entire request is encrypted - includeing the Host header that
would be used to decrypt the request. You can set up an SSL site +
virtual hosting site where the same certificate is used for all sites
- but then your users get the scary warning "this certificate is for a
site other than the one your request was intended for, is that OK?"
(or something to that effect). For most applications that demand SSL
(like ecommerce), that warning would scare off too many users. 

-- 
Cynthia N. Kiser
cnk at ugcs.caltech.edu