diff --git a/public/index.html b/public/index.html
index 8e1595b..4f5dbd0 100644
--- a/public/index.html
+++ b/public/index.html
@@ -52,12 +52,22 @@
 			</ul>
 		</footer>
 		<div id="dialog-backdrop"></div>
-		<div id="connect-dialog">
-			<button id="connect-close">X</button>
+		<div id="connect-dialog" class="dialog">
+			<button class="dialog-close">X</button>
 			<p>Enter the address of the server you would like to connect to:</p>	
 			<input id="connect-url" name="server" type="text" spellcheck="false">
 			<button id="connect-submit">Connect</button>
 		</div>
+		<div id="warn-dialog" class="dialog">
+			<button class="dialog-close">X</button>
+			<p>
+				WARNING: The server you're about to connect to is insecure.
+				Your activity here may be available to anyone monitoring your network traffic!
+				Are you sure you want to continue?
+			</p>
+			<button id="warn-proceed">Okay!</button>
+			<button id="warn-cancel">Nevermind!</button>
+		</div>
 		<div id="overlay"></div>
 	</body>
 </html>
diff --git a/public/scripts/main.js b/public/scripts/main.js
index cc8bacb..3303067 100644
--- a/public/scripts/main.js
+++ b/public/scripts/main.js
@@ -6,11 +6,12 @@ document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
 	Terminal.start();
 
 	const dialog_backdrop = document.getElementById("dialog-backdrop");
+
 	const connect_button = document.getElementById("connect");
 	const connect_dialog = document.getElementById("connect-dialog");
 	const connect_url = document.getElementById("connect-url");
 	const connect_submit = document.getElementById("connect-submit");
-	const connect_close = document.getElementById("connect-close");
+	const connect_close = connect_dialog.getElementsByClassName("dialog-close").item(0);
 
 	connect_url.placeholder = window.location.host;
 
@@ -24,8 +25,7 @@ document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
 
 	connect_submit.addEventListener("click", () => {
 		connect_close.click();
-		const new_server = connect_url.value;
-		if (!new_server) return;
+		const new_server = connect_url.value || window.location.host;
 		Terminal.connect(new_server);
 	});
 
@@ -41,10 +41,14 @@ document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
 		return;
 	});
 
-	connect_close.addEventListener("click", () => {
-		connect_dialog.classList.remove("show");
-		dialog_backdrop.classList.remove("show");
-		Terminal.set_enable_input(true);
+	[...document.getElementsByClassName("dialog-close")].forEach(dialog_close => {
+		dialog_close.addEventListener("click", () => {
+			[...document.getElementsByClassName("dialog")].forEach(element => {
+				element.classList.remove("show");
+			});
+			dialog_backdrop.classList.remove("show");
+			Terminal.set_enable_input(true);
+		});
 	});
 
 	dialog_backdrop.addEventListener("click", () => {
diff --git a/public/scripts/terminal.js b/public/scripts/terminal.js
index da2f8a1..bf55389 100644
--- a/public/scripts/terminal.js
+++ b/public/scripts/terminal.js
@@ -111,11 +111,64 @@ export async function connect(server_url) {
 
 	add_system_message("Connecting to the server...\n");
 
-	if (!server_url.startsWith("wss://")) server_url = "wss://" + server_url;
-	client = new WebSocket(server_url);
+	let protocol = false;
+
+	// check if user explicitly stated secure/insecure protocol
+	if (server_url.startsWith("wss://")) {
+		protocol = "wss://";
+		server_url = server_url.split(6);
+	} else if (server_url.startsWith("ws://")) {
+		server_url = server_url.split(5);
+		protocol = "ws://";
+	}
+	// otherwise, probe the url!
+	else protocol = await get_available_socket_protocol(server_url);
+
+	// no server was found!
+	if (!protocol) {
+		return add_system_message(`\n[NO SERVER FOUND AT ${server_url}!]\n`);
+	}
+
+	// server was found, but it's insecure!
+	if (protocol === "ws://") {
+		const warn_dialog = document.getElementById("warn-dialog");
+		const warn_close = warn_dialog.getElementsByClassName("dialog-close").item(0);
+		const user_wants_insecure = await new Promise((Resolve, Reject) => {
+			const dialog_backdrop = document.getElementById("dialog-backdrop");
+			const warn_proceed = document.getElementById("warn-proceed");
+			const warn_cancel = document.getElementById("warn-cancel");
+
+			warn_dialog.classList.add("show");
+			dialog_backdrop.classList.add("show");
+
+			set_enable_input(false);
+
+			warn_close.addEventListener('click', () => {
+				Resolve(false);
+			});
+			warn_cancel.addEventListener('click', () => {
+				Resolve(false);
+			});
+			warn_proceed.addEventListener('click', () => {
+				Resolve(true);
+			});
+		});
+
+		warn_close.click();
+
+		set_enable_input(true);
+
+		if (!user_wants_insecure) {
+			server_indicator.innerText = "not connected";
+			add_system_message(`\n[CONNECTION CLOSED]\n`);
+			return;
+		}
+	}
+
+	client = new WebSocket(protocol + server_url);
 
 	client.addEventListener('open', () => {
-		server_indicator.innerText = server_url.slice(6);
+		server_indicator.innerText = server_url;
 		add_system_message(`Connection successful.\n\n`);
 		add_system_message(`=== BEGIN SESSION ===\n\n`);
 		new_caret();
@@ -134,6 +187,34 @@ export async function connect(server_url) {
 	});
 }
 
+/**
+ * probes the `server_url` for a secure websocket connection first, an insecure websocket second, or resolves to `false` on failure.
+ * @param {string} server_url 
+ * @returns a promise either resolving to the discovered protocol, or false on failure.
+ */
+function get_available_socket_protocol(server_url) {
+	return new Promise((Resolve, Reject) => {
+		const secure_client = new WebSocket("wss://" + server_url);
+
+		secure_client.addEventListener('open', () => {
+			Resolve("wss://");
+		});
+
+		secure_client.addEventListener('error', () => {
+			const insecure_client = new WebSocket("ws://" + server_url);
+
+			insecure_client.addEventListener('open', () => {
+				Resolve("ws://");
+			});
+
+			insecure_client.addEventListener('error', () => {
+				Reject(false);
+			});
+
+		});
+	});
+}
+
 /**
  * appends a client-side message to the text buffer.
  * @param {string} text - text to send to the buffer.
diff --git a/public/styles/main.css b/public/styles/main.css
index 85270bd..cb5438b 100644
--- a/public/styles/main.css
+++ b/public/styles/main.css
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 :root {
 	--colour: #a6e3a1;
 	--bgcolour: #1e1e2e;
+	--warn-colour: #e83737;
 }
 
 body {
@@ -186,12 +187,10 @@ body.lcd pre#content {
 	z-index: 99;
 }
 
-#connect-dialog {
+div.dialog {
 	position: fixed;
 	top: 50%;
 	left: 50%;
-	max-width: calc(100vw - 4rem);
-	width: 16rem;
 	margin: auto auto;
 	padding: 1rem;
 	display: none;
@@ -203,37 +202,37 @@ body.lcd pre#content {
 	z-index: 99;
 }
 
-#dialog-backdrop.show,
-#connect-dialog.show {
-	display: block;
-}
-
-#connect-dialog p {
+div.dialog p {
 	margin: 0 0 1em 0;
 }
 
-#connect-dialog input {
+div.dialog input {
 	font-family: inherit;
-	color: var(--colour);
-	border: 1px solid var(--colour);
+	color: inherit;
+	border: inherit;
 	background: transparent;
 }
 
-#connect-dialog input::placeholder {
+div.dialog input::placeholder {
 	font-family: inherit;
-	color: var(--colour);
+	color: inherit;
 	opacity: .25;
 }
 
-#connect-dialog button {
+div.dialog button {
 	font-family: inherit;
-	border: 1px solid var(--colour);
-	color: var(--colour);
+	border: inherit;
+	color: inherit;
 	background: transparent;
 	cursor: pointer;
 }
 
-#connect-dialog #connect-close {
+#dialog-backdrop.show,
+div.dialog.show {
+	display: block;
+}
+
+div.dialog .dialog-close {
 	position: absolute;
 	top: -0.7em;
 	right: 1rem;
@@ -241,6 +240,17 @@ body.lcd pre#content {
 	background: var(--bgcolour);
 }
 
+#connect-dialog {
+	max-width: calc(100vw - 4rem);
+	width: 16rem;
+}
+
+#warn-dialog {
+	max-width: 18rem;
+	color: var(--warn-colour);
+	border-color: var(--warn-colour);
+}
+
 *:focus {
 	outline: none;
 	box-shadow: 0 0 4px;
diff --git a/server/main.js b/server/main.js
index aa63713..9993d64 100644
--- a/server/main.js
+++ b/server/main.js
@@ -1,13 +1,8 @@
 const fs = require('fs');
-const https = require('https');
+const http = require('http');
 const path = require('path');
 const Websocket = require('ws');
 
-const config = {
-	cert: fs.readFileSync(process.env.SSL_CERT || './certs/cert.crt'),
-	key: fs.readFileSync(process.env.SSL_KEY || './certs/cert.key'),
-}
-
 const MIME_TYPES = {
 	default: "application/octet-stream",
 	html: "text/html; charset=UTF-8",
@@ -65,7 +60,7 @@ This connection will now terminate.
 `;
 
 
-const PORT = process.env.PORT || 8443;
+const PORT = process.env.PORT || 8080;
 const PING_INTERVAL = 10000;
 let sockets = [];
 
@@ -74,7 +69,7 @@ const MAX_BUFFER_SIZE = 1024 * 1000;
 const MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH = 1024;
 
 /**
- * simple file fetching for the HTTPS server
+ * simple file fetching for the HTTP server
  */
 async function get_file(url) {
 	// ignore query params...not very helpful when getting files!
@@ -94,7 +89,7 @@ async function get_file(url) {
 	return { stream, ext };
 }
 
-const server = https.createServer(config, async (req, res) => {
+const server = http.createServer(async (req, res) => {
 	const file = await get_file(req.url);
 	if (!file) {
 		res.writeHead(404);
@@ -226,7 +221,7 @@ function generate_colour() {
 }
 
 server.listen(PORT, () => {
-	console.log(`OpenTerminal is now LIVE on https://127.0.0.1:${PORT}!`);
+	console.log(`OpenTerminal is now LIVE on http://127.0.0.1:${PORT}`);
 });
 
 /**