what is SSL , https ?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It is a protocol which creates a secure connection between a client and the server over which to send information.

SSL works by using a cryptographic system that uses two keys to encrypt data. The first key is a private or secret key, only known to the recipient of the message. The second key is a public key, known to everyone. Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer both support SSL and many websites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers.

As a general rule, you can tell whether a URL requires an SSL connection if it begins with “https” instead of “http”.
A valid SSL Certificate is an assurance that information which you will share on this site, will be sent in an encrypted, safe way.

An SSL Certificate will contain information on the domain name, its owner and the physical location of the owner and the validity dates of the certificate. SSL Certificates are thus a useful tool in determining whether websites are trustworthy or not. Many online shoppers will not risk buying items on a non-secure site.



More Reference :

• How SSL works tutorial - with HTTPS example
• SSL Certificate Explained  
• what is HTTPS ?

SAX / DOM / STAX

here is a small comparison between SAX, DOM and STAX

╔══════════════════════════════════════╦═════════════════════════╦═════════════════════════╦═══════════════════════╦═══════════════════════════╗
║          JAXP API Property           ║          StAX           ║           SAX           ║          DOM          ║           TrAX            ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═════════════════════════╬═══════════════════════╬═══════════════════════════╣
║ API Style                            ║ Pull events; streaming  ║ Push events; streaming  ║ In memory tree based  ║ XSLT Rule based templates ║
║ Ease of Use                          ║ High                    ║ Medium                  ║ High                  ║ Medium                    ║
║ XPath Capability                     ║ No                      ║ No                      ║ Yes                   ║ Yes                       ║
║ CPU and Memory Utilization           ║ Good                    ║ Good                    ║ Depends               ║ Depends                   ║
║ Forward Only                         ║ Yes                     ║ Yes                     ║ No                    ║ No                        ║
║ Reading                              ║ Yes                     ║ Yes                     ║ Yes                   ║ Yes                       ║
║ Writing                              ║ Yes                     ║ No                      ║ Yes                   ║ Yes                       ║
║ Create, Read, Update, Delete (CRUD)  ║ No                      ║ No                      ║ Yes                   ║ No                        ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════╩═════════════════════════╩═════════════════════════╩═══════════════════════╩═══════════════════════════╝

there are different approaches for parsing an xml source. You should select proper approach for your needs. You may choose one of these:

• DOM - Document Object Model,
• SAX - Simple API for XML,
• StAX – Streaming API for XML

Let’s discuss each one.