Networking

Ports

Posted on by Support Tips

In computer networking, a port is a logical construct and a numerical identifier that is used to differentiate and direct network traffic to specific services or applications on a computer or device. Ports are a fundamental part of the Internet and networking protocols, allowing multiple services to coexist on a single device or server.

Here are some key points about ports:


  1. Numerical Identifiers: Ports are identified by numbers ranging from 0 to 65,535. This number is used to specify the target service or application to which data should be sent or from which data is received.
  2. Two Types of Ports: Ports are categorized into two main types: well-known ports and registered ports. Well-known ports (0-1023) are associated with widely recognized services and protocols, while registered ports (1024-49151) are used for less common or proprietary services.
  3. Ephemeral Ports: Ephemeral ports (also known as dynamic or private ports) fall in the range 49152-65535 and are used as temporary source ports in client-server communication. They are dynamically assigned by the operating system to the client application.
  4. Port-Pair: Network communication involves both a source port and a destination port. The source port is used by the client to send data, and the destination port is used by the server to receive it. Together, they form a port-pair.
  5. Transport Layer: Ports are associated with the transport layer of the OSI model, and they help identify specific services or applications within a single device.
  6. Routing and Firewall Rules: Routers and firewalls use port information to route network traffic to the correct destination and to enforce security policies. Port-based rules are often used to control access to network services.
  7. Examples: Some common examples of well-known ports include port 80 for HTTP (web browsing), port 25 for SMTP (email), and port 22 for SSH (secure remote access).
  8. Custom Ports: Applications and services can use custom, non-standard ports if they don’t conflict with well-known or registered ports. These custom ports are often defined by the application.

In practice, when data is sent over a network, it includes both the IP address of the destination device and the port number of the specific service or application on that device. This combination of IP address and port helps ensure that data is delivered to the correct service or application, allowing multiple services to run on a single device and enabling efficient network communication.

Ports can be categorized into several types based on their purposes and roles in network communication. Here are the main types of ports:

  1. Well-Known Ports (0-1023): These are the most recognized and commonly used ports. They are reserved for well-known network services and protocols, such as HTTP (port 80), HTTPS (port 443), FTP (port 21), and SMTP (port 25).
  2. Registered Ports (1024-49151): These ports are used for applications and services that are not as widely recognized as those in the well-known ports range. They are typically registered with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to avoid conflicts.
  3. Dynamic/Private Ports (49152-65535): Also known as ephemeral ports, these are typically used as source ports in client-server communication. They are randomly selected by the client to establish connections with well-known or registered ports on the server side.
  4. System Ports (0-1023): This is a subset of well-known ports and includes the most critical and widely used network ports. It is sometimes used interchangeably with well-known ports.
  5. User Ports (1024-49151): This category includes registered ports used by applications and services that are not as commonly recognized.
  6. HTTP Ports: Ports related to web communication, including HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443).
  7. Mail Ports: Ports used for email communication, such as SMTP (port 25), POP3 (port 110), and IMAP (port 143).
  8. File Transfer Ports: Ports associated with file transfer protocols, like FTP (port 21) and SFTP (port 22).
  9. Database Ports: Ports used for database communication, including MySQL (port 3306) and PostgreSQL (port 5432).
  10. Version Control Ports: Ports used for version control systems like Git (port 9418) and Subversion (port 3690).
  11. Proxy Ports: Ports used for proxy servers to manage and route network traffic.
  12. Remote Access Ports: Ports for remote access and control, such as SSH (port 22) and RDP (port 3389).
  13. VoIP Ports: Ports related to Voice over IP (VoIP) communication, such as SIP (port 5060).
  14. Streaming Ports: Ports used for streaming media and video content delivery.
  15. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Ports: Ports used for peer-to-peer file sharing and communication, like BitTorrent ports.
  16. Network Management Ports: Ports used for network management protocols like SNMP (port 161).
  17. Virtualization Ports: Ports used for virtualization technologies such as VNC (port 5900) and VMware (port 61212).
  18. Development and Testing Ports: Ports used for development and testing purposes, including ports used by web development servers and services.
  19. Custom Ports: Some applications and services use custom or non-standard ports that are not part of the well-known or registered port ranges. These are often defined by the application itself.

These port types help organize and categorize the vast array of ports used in networking and facilitate the efficient routing and management of network traffic. Below is just a few categorization and uses of the ports.

HTTP Ports (HyperText Transfer Protocol):

  • Port 80: HTTP – The default port for unencrypted web traffic. It is used for accessing websites via standard HTTP.
  • Port 8080: HTTP Alternate – Often used as an alternative to port 80 for web servers and web proxies. It allows running additional web services on the same server.
  • Port 8000: HTTP Alternate – Another alternative port for web services. It’s often used for development and testing purposes.
  • Port 8888: HTTP Alternate – Used for running HTTP servers as an alternative to port 80. It’s also employed for proxy server configurations.
  • Port 8081: HTTP Alternate – An alternative port for web servers and web proxies. It is sometimes used to avoid conflicts with other services using port 80.
  • Port 8880: HTTP Alternate – Another alternative to port 80 for web services. It’s often used for running web server software.

HTTPS Ports (HTTP over SSL/TLS):

  • Port 443: HTTPS – This is the default and standard port for secure web traffic. It is used for secure communication with websites and web applications that implement HTTPS, including online stores, banking websites, and more.
  • Port 8443: HTTPS Alternate – An alternative port for HTTPS that may be used for secure web applications, similar to port 443 but with a different number. It is sometimes used for secure internal web services, testing, or custom configurations.
  • Port 8447: HTTPS Alternate – Another alternative port used for secure web services similar to port 443 and 8443. It is not as common as the default port but may be used for specific applications.

HTTP Proxy Ports:

HTTP proxies are used to forward HTTP requests and responses between clients and servers. While the default port for HTTP proxies is 3128, HTTP proxies can be configured to use various ports depending on network and server configurations. Here are some commonly used HTTP proxy ports:

  • Port 3128: Default HTTP Proxy Port – This is the default port used for HTTP proxies in many proxy server configurations.
  • Port 8080: HTTP Proxy Alternate – Port 8080 is often used as an alternative HTTP proxy port for both regular and transparent proxy setups.
  • Port 80: HTTP Proxy on Standard Web Port – Some HTTP proxies are configured to run on port 80, which is the default HTTP port. This configuration can be used for transparent proxying.
  • Port 8888: HTTP Proxy Alternate – Port 8888 is sometimes used for HTTP proxies, particularly in development and testing environments.
  • Port 1080: SOCKS Proxy – Port 1080 is used for SOCKS (Socket Secure) proxies, which can handle both HTTP and other network protocols.
  • Port 8081: HTTP Proxy Alternate – Another alternative HTTP proxy port, which may be used for specific proxy server configurations.
  • Port 8082: HTTP Proxy Alternate – Another alternative HTTP proxy port, similar to port 8081, for use in custom configurations.
  • Port 3129: HTTP Proxy Alternate – Another alternative HTTP proxy port, sometimes used to avoid conflicts with the default 3128.

Mail Services: are online communication platforms that allow individuals and organizations to send, receive, and manage electronic messages. Here are few mails services ports

  • Port 25 – SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol for sending email.
  • Port 587 – Submission: Email submission over SSL/TLS.
  • Port 110 – POP3: Post Office Protocol version 3 for email retrieval.
  • Port 995 – POP3S: Secure POP3 for email retrieval.
  • Port 143 – IMAP: Internet Message Access Protocol for email retrieval.
  • Port 993 – IMAPS: Secure IMAP for email retrieval.

File Services: These are technologies and platforms that enable the storage, access, sharing, and management of files and data across networks

  • Port 20 – FTP Data: FTP data transfer.
  • Port 21 – FTP Control: FTP control and commands.
  • Port 22 – SSH: Secure remote access and file transfer.
  • Port 23 – Telnet: Remote command-line access.
  • Port 21 – FTP: FTP control and data transfer.
  • Port 88 – Kerberos: Network authentication protocol.

Database Services Ports:

  • Port 3306 – MySQL: Database connections with MySQL.
  • Port 5432 – PostgreSQL: Database connections with PostgreSQL.
  • Port 27017 – MongoDB: MongoDB database server.
  • Port 1433 – MSSQL: Microsoft SQL Server database access.
  • Port 6379 – Redis: Key-value store database.
  • Port 1434 – MSSQL Browser: SQL Server Browser service.

Version Control Ports:

  • Port 9418 – Git: Git version control system.
  • Port 3690 – Subversion: Version control system.
  • Port 2401 – CVS: Concurrent Versions System.

Web-Based Administration:

  • Port 10000 – Webmin: Web-based system administration tool.
  • Port 8083 – ISPConfig: Web hosting control panel.

Collaboration Tools Ports:

  • Port 5000 – WebEx: Web conferencing and collaboration.
  • Port 4433 – Signal: Encrypted messaging and calling.
  • Port 6800 – OwnCloud: Personal cloud storage and collaboration.
  • Port 8090 – JIRA: Issue and project tracking.
  • Port 50000 – HipChat: Team collaboration and messaging.

Web Services and APIs Ports:

  • Port 8085 – REST API: Representational State Transfer (REST) services.
  • Port 9090 – REST API: Alternative REST services.
  • Port 8181 – REST API: Alternative REST services.
  • Port 8000 – HTTP Alternative: Alternative HTTP port for web services.

Content Management System (CMS) and Blogging Ports:

  • Port 80 – WordPress: WordPress content management system.
  • Port 8000 – Django: Django web framework.
  • Port 80 – Joomla: Joomla content management system.
  • Port 8983 – Solr: Apache Solr search platform.
  • Port 443 – Ghost: Ghost blogging platform.
  • Port 8080 – Tomcat: Apache Tomcat web server.
  • Port 8088 – Movable Type: Movable Type blogging platform.

Web Sockets:

  • Port 80 – Web Sockets: Web Socket communication.
  • Port 8080 – Web Sockets Alt.: Alternative Web Socket port.

Collaboration Tools:

  • Port 7080 – Confluence: Collaboration and documentation tool.
  • Port 2049 – WebEx: Web conferencing and collaboration.
  • Port 5555 – MantisBT: Mantis Bug Tracker.
  • Port 8000 – Etherpad: Real-time collaborative document editing.
  • Port 5432 – Slack: Team collaboration and messaging.
  • Port 5000 – Teams: Microsoft Teams collaboration tool.
  • Port 1024 – Asana: Task and project management.

Learning Management Systems:

  • Port 80 – Moodle: Moodle learning management system.
  • Port 8080 – Blackboard: Blackboard learning management system.
  • Port 8888 – Canvas: Instructure Canvas LMS.
  • Port 9443 – Sakai: Sakai Collaboration and Learning Environment.

Content Management Systems (CMS):

  • Port 80 – Drupal: Drupal content management system.
  • Port 8080 – Typo3: Typo3 content management system.
  • Port 50000 – Plone: Plone content management system.
  • Port 8080 – Joomla Alt.: Alternative Joomla port.
  • Port 8080 – WordPress Alt.: Alternative WordPress port.

Discussion Forums and Bulletin Boards:

  • Port 80 – phpBB: phpBB discussion forum.
  • Port 80 – vBulletin: vBulletin bulletin board software.
  • Port 443 – MyBB: MyBB bulletin board software.
  • Port 8080 – SMF: Simple Machines Forum.

Project Management and Task Tracking:

  • Port 80 – Redmine: Redmine project management.
  • Port 8080 – Trac: Trac project management.
  • Port 8888 – Taiga: Taiga project management.
  • Port 3000 – Taiga Alt.: Alternative Taiga port.
  • Port 10010 – Taiga Alt.: Alternative Taiga port.

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