THE OCSP stapling process involves several components and validity checks. The following graphic illustrates the OCSP stapling process:
Hashing match verification
As you can see, the process starts when the user attempts to open an SSL-encrypted website via their browser. The browser queries the web server to ensure that the SSL-encrypted website has a valid certificate. The web server queries the certificate's vendor and is provided with both the certificate status and the digitally signed timestamp. The web server takes those two components, staples them together, and returns the stapled set to the requesting browser. The browser can then check the validity of the timestamp and decide whether to display the SSL-encrypted website or to display an error.