Functioning Of Ports

A port always functions along with an IP address. An IP address is a numeric address that acts as an identifier for a computer or a device on a network. For communication purposes, each device needs to have an IP address. An IP address and a port number work in sync to exchange data on a network.

Let’s say we want to connect to a network over the internet the IP address will be used for determining the geographical location of the server such as continent, country, city and so on whereas a port number determines what kind of service it wants to access either by pulling up a web page or accessing an FTP service.

Now in simple terms, what does this all mean?

So as an example, let’s take a very common port that just about everyone uses every day and that is port number 80. Port 80 is associated with HTTP which are web pages so whenever we visit a web page from our computer, we’re using port 80.

Let’s say we want to visit Google’s web page so we will open up a web browser and type google.com in the address bar but before it pops up on our screen, there are some intermediary steps behind the scenes. First of all, it needs to convert the domain name of google.com into Google’s IP address (215.114.85.17), and in addition, add port number 80 to the IP address since we are using a web browser that is using HTTP, to complete the foreign address(address of the server – 215.114.85.117:80). This foreign address is going to be used to locate Google’s web server.

Once we locate the server, the IP address part of the foreign address loses its significance and the port will come into play. Now Google’s web server will see the incoming request with port number 80 and will forward that request to its built-in web service and you will eventually retrieve Google’s web page.

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.