A port number is a numerical identifier used to pinpoint a specific application, service, or program running on a networked host. While an IP address routes data to a particular device, the port number ensures the transmitted data reaches the exact intended program on that machine, such as port 80 for HTTP web traffic or port 443 for HTTPS.

Port Number

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a logical address used to route data packets across multiple interconnected networks. IPv4 addresses use a numeric format (such as 192.168.1.5) yielding about 4 billion possible addresses, whereas IPv6 uses longer addresses to provide a vastly larger pool. Rather than pinpointing a physical location, an IP address designates a network or region, and multiple host devices can share a single public address via Network Address Translation (NAT).

IP Address

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ch.3 Transport Layer Mechanisms - Anatomy of the Internet: Core Protocols and Packet Delivery @ University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Port Numbers and Application Multiplexing - Anatomy of the Internet: Core Protocols and Packet Delivery @ University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Transmission Control Protocol and Connection Establishment - Anatomy of the Internet: Core Protocols and Packet Delivery @ University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Learn Before

Related

Learn After