this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2023
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Explain Like I'm Five

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ELI5: In computer networking, what is a port? (self.explainlikeimfive)
submitted 1 year ago by BackOnMyBS to c/explainlikeimfive
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I often see that network settings have a field for logical port. What is this field.referring to?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

id say your telephone number example can be extended:

1800 is for free numbers, but why? no particular reason, just that’s the number that got chosen at some time… same with port 80 being HTTP: that’s just the number that got chosen!

you can also have an HTTP server running on port 25 (usually mail); it’s just bad practice… just like there’s no reason why your phone company couldn’t make a regular phone number toll free!

what’s pretty normal though is running an HTTP server on say, port 5000: this is just for more technical users though, because you have to know the port; your browser doesn’t “remember” it for you