Should data in an HTTPS request appear as encrypted in Chrome developer tools?

Question

I\'m trying to get a better understanding of how SSL works so I installed a self-signed SSL cert on my server for testing.

When I post data to an HTTPS url on the

Answer 1

The Chrome developer tools wouldn't be very helpful if they just showed the encrypted data. Those tools are located in the network stack before the data gets encrypted and sent to the server.

As you have noticed, a packet sniffer will show that the HTTP message sent over SSL is encrypted on the wire. The domain names are not encrypted because those are needed in plain text for DNS and TCP to send your data to the correct server.