I will preface this with the fact that I am definitely a novice trying to learn more and understand how the http/s protocol works. That said, can someone help me understand the below please? ...

I'm having a little bit of trouble understanding why the https protocol includes the host name in plain text. I have read that the host name and IP addresses of an https packet are not encrypted. Why is it that the host name cannot be encrypted? Can't we just leave the destination IP in plain text (so the packet is routable), then when the packet arrives at the destination server, the packet is decrypted and the host/index identified from the header?

Maybe the problem is that there can be different certs for one particular destination IPs (different certs for different subdomains?), so the destination server cannot decrypt the packet until it arrives at the correct host within that server. Does this make ANY sense, or am I way off?

Can someone help me understand how this works please? Thank you in advance!

I'm having a little bit of trouble understanding why the HTTPS protocol includes the host name in plain text. I have read that the host name and IP addresses of an HTTPS packet are not encrypted. 

Why the host name cannot be encrypted? Can't we just leave the destination IP in plain text (so the packet is routable), then when the packet arrives at the destination server, the packet is decrypted and the host/index identified from the header?

Maybe the problem is that there can be different certs for one particular destination IPs (different certs for different subdomains?), so the destination server cannot decrypt the packet until it arrives at the correct host within that server. Does this make ANY sense, or am I way off?

I will preface this with the fact that I am definitely a novice trying to learn more and understand how the http/s protocol works. That said, can someone help me understand the below please? ...

I'm having a little bit of trouble understanding why the https protocol includes the host name in plain text. At first, I figured - why is the host needed at all? Isn't the main point of the host name just so that DNS can then convert the FQDN to an IP address that can then be routed?

Then, I realized that I believe the host is necessary so that the web server knows where to find the requested data. For example, if only a destination IP was included in the packet, then when the packet arrives at the web server, it would not know where to find the required data (which is why the host and index are required in the http header). Do I have this right?

I have also read that the host name and IP addresses of an https packet are not encrypted. Assuming I understand correct so far, why is it that the host name cannot be encrypted? Can't we just leave the destination IP in plain text (so the packet is routable), then when the packet arrives at the destination server, the packet is decrypted and the host/index identified from the header?

Maybe the problem is that there can be different certs for one particular destination IP (different subdomain?), so the destination server cannot decrypt the packet until it arrives at the correct host within that server. Does this make ANY sense, or am I way off?

Can someone help me understand how this works please? Thank you in advance!

I will preface this with the fact that I am definitely a novice trying to learn more and understand how the http/s protocol works. That said, can someone help me understand the below please? ...

I'm having a little bit of trouble understanding why the https protocol includes the host name in plain text. I have read that the host name and IP addresses of an https packet are not encrypted. Why is it that the host name cannot be encrypted? Can't we just leave the destination IP in plain text (so the packet is routable), then when the packet arrives at the destination server, the packet is decrypted and the host/index identified from the header?

Maybe the problem is that there can be different certs for one particular destination IPs (different certs for different subdomains?), so the destination server cannot decrypt the packet until it arrives at the correct host within that server. Does this make ANY sense, or am I way off?

Can someone help me understand how this works please? Thank you in advance!