TCP Ports
Last updated: 7/12/01
Q. What are TCP Ports?
A. Data transmitted over a network using the Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP), such as the Internet, includes address information that identifies
the computer (32-bit IP address) and a port. Ports number (16-bit number)
the ends of logical connections used for long-term data transfers between
applications. For example port 80 is the standard File Transfer Protocol
(FTP) port used by HyperText Transfer Protocol
(HTTP) to send and retrieve web pages. Service contact ports or "well-known
ports" are used to provide services to unknown callers. Port numbers
are divided into three categories and ranges:
- Well Known Ports are those from 0 through 1023
- Registered Ports are those from 1024 through
49151
- Dynamic and/or Private Ports are those from 49152
through 65535
The
list of TCP and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports is maintained
by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
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