Ports 101

Let's pretend you worked at a grocery store and just got in a truck full of food.

Part of your job is making sure that the food goes in the right place.

Would you put ice cream in the fruit section with the apples? Of course not!

This is what ports do on computers and networks. They help make sure the right thing

gets to the right place. Each port has a number and a job.

Here are some basic ports for you to learn!

FTP
File Transfer Protocol. This helps deliver big files from one computer to another
Port 21: FTP
SSH
Secure Shell. This port helps provide a "secret way" to access a computer.
Port 22: SSH
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. This port helps sending emails!
Port 25: SMTP
HTTP
Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol. Some websites use it but it's not safe!
Port 80: HTTP
HTTPS
Secure HTTP. This is like Port 80 but safer! Most websites you visit use HTTPS.
Port 443: HTTPS