Categories of Ports

Port numbers range from 0 – 65535 and these are assigned by an organization called IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority). These 65,535 port numbers are broken down into the following three categories:-

1. System Ports

Port numbers from 0 – 1023 are called systems or well-known ports. These are common ports that most people use every day. Some of them are:

• 80(HTTP)
• 443(HTTPS)
• 25(SMTP)
• 21(FTP)

2. Registered Ports

Port numbers from 1024 – 49151 are called user or registered ports. These are ports that can be registered and accessed by companies and developers for any particular service. Some of them are:

• 1102(Adobe Server)
• 1433(Microsoft SQL Server)
• 1416(Novell)
• 1527(Oracle)

3. Dynamic Ports

Port numbers from 49152 – 65535 are called dynamic or private ports. These are client-side ports that are free to use. Computers generally use it for local addresses temporarily during a session with the server, for example when viewing a web page.

Out of these three categories, the well-known and registered port numbers are used on a server. In other words, these are used on a server that our computer connects to whereas our computer uses the dynamic or private port numbers on the client side. So whenever our computer wants to use a service on another server, it assigns itself one of these port numbers.

In today’s technological age, data stands out as a crucial asset, and to make regular advancements, we need to share data among ourselves. We can share data in two ways either using wired connections or the internet.

In wired connections, we use connectors called physical ports for the transfer of data, power, and signals from one device to another. Example – HDMI, USB, etc.

In the internet, communication among devices relies on a structured system called network ports.

Network ports are virtual endpoints that bridge data transmission among multiple applications, services, or devices within a network. It is a logical connection that is established between multiple devices to transfer and exchange data among them. These ports ensures the smooth flow of information and make sure that data reaches its destined address.

In a practical sense, when we interact with various online services like browsing, streaming, or downloading, network ports are working in the background. It manages the data traffic and ensures to make every process works independently and efficiently.

Each network port will have a unique number that differentiates it from others. This unique number is known as the port number.