HSTS
IETF, Fremont, California, United StatesThe HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) standard ensures that a user's browser always connects to a website using HTTPS.
According to our data, HSTS is the 4th most popular networking technology on the web.
It has 24% of the networking market share and is present on 20.9% of all websites.
- 🏠 Website
- 🔗 Links
📊 Rankings and Market Share
- Networking
- Rank: 4
- Market share: 24%
🏆 HSTS Awards
- 🥈 Second most popular in the Central African Republic in the Networking category.
- 🥉 Third most popular in Isle of Man in the Networking category.
- 🥉 Third most popular in Jamaica in the Networking category.
- 🥉 Third most popular in Curacao in the Networking category.
- 🥉 Third most popular in Saint Helena in the Networking category.
- 🥉 Third most popular in Somalia in the Networking category.
- ⭐ 4th most popular in the United States in the Networking category.
- ⭐ 4th most popular in Germany in the Networking category.
- ⭐ 4th most popular in the United Kingdom in the Networking category.
- ⭐ 4th most popular in Canada in the Networking category.
⚡ Sites Using HSTS
We have data on 536,944 websites that use HSTS networking technology. Here is a list of some of the top ranked ones.
The highest rated site using HSTS is 
facebook.com.
| # | Website | Rank | Country | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | facebook.com |
#2 | United States | English |
| 2 |  microsoft.com |
#3 | United States | American English |
| 3 |  instagram.com |
#4 | United States | English |
| 4 |  youtube.com |
#5 | United States | English |
| 5 | #6 | United States | American English | |
| 6 |  linkedin.com |
#7 | United States | English |
| 7 |  amazon.com |
#8 | United States | American English |
| 8 |  wikipedia.org |
#9 | United States | English |
| 9 |  apple.com |
#10 | United States | American English |
| 10 |  pinterest.com |
#11 | English | |
| 11 | github.com | #13 | United States | English |
| 12 | #14 | United States | American English | |
| 13 |  x.com |
#15 | English | |
| 14 | #16 | United States | American English | |
| 15 |  tiktok.com |
#17 | Cayman Islands | English |
| 16 | #18 | United States | American English | |
| 17 | #19 | Sweden | English | |
| 18 | #20 | United States | American English | |
| 19 |  adobe.com |
#21 | United States | English |
| 20 | #22 | United States | English |
📈 Usage Statistics
Most of the sites that use HSTS:
- are located in the United States
- have content in English
- use the .com domain extension
- fall into the Business category.
Most of the sites using HSTS are from the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
- United States 28.6%
- Germany 8.1%
- United Kingdom 5.9%
- Canada 4.9%
- Netherlands 3.9%
- China 3.8%
- France 3.8%
- Australia 3%
- Japan 2.4%
- Other 35.6%
Most HSTS users speak English, German, or French.
- English 58.6%
- German 8.1%
- French 4.1%
- Chinese 3.4%
- Spanish 3.4%
- Dutch 3%
- Russian 2.5%
- Japanese 2.1%
- Portuguese 1.9%
- Other 12.9%
HSTS networking technology is especially popular on .com, .org, and .de top-level domains.
- .com 46.2%
- .org 6.2%
- .de 5.2%
- .net 2.6%
- .nl 2.4%
- .co.uk 2.3%
- .com.au 1.8%
- .ru 1.6%
- .ch 1.5%
- Other 30.2%
The primary market segments for websites utilizing HSTS include business, marketing and merchandising, and online shopping.
- Business 18.3%
- Marketing/Merchandising 10%
- Online Shopping 9.5%
- Education/Reference 5.8%
- Internet Services 5.6%
- Blogs/Wiki 4.8%
- Travel 3.7%
- Entertainment 3.4%
- Health 3.3%
- Other 35.6%
🕵️ Similar Technologies
These are some of the best HSTS alternatives.
CSP🆚 Compare Alternatives
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
What is the company behind HSTS?
HSTS is owned by Internet Engineering Task Force, headquartered in Fremont, California, United States.
Which country uses HSTS the most?
The majority of HSTS users are from the United States.
Who uses HSTS?
According to our data, HSTS is used on thousands of sites, including facebook.com, microsoft.com, and instagram.com.
Is HSTS used on government websites?
In total, we found HSTS on 955 government sites in the United States.
Do academic institutions use HSTS?
Yes, quite a few! Overall, we know of 1,509 academic websites in the United States that use HSTS.
How does HSTS stack up against its competitors?
HSTS is one of the most popular networking technologies, second only to TLS, 
HTTP 2+, and 
Cookies.
What are the alternatives to HSTS?
Alternatives and possible competitors to HSTS may include TLS, HTTP 2+, and Cookies.
Data updated
👉 See Also
- ✨ Related Technologies
- 💼 All technologies from IETF
OpenSSL