Understanding Common Service Ports: A Comprehensive Guide
When managing or using web services, understanding the ports they operate on can be crucial. Ports are essentially gateways for specific types of traffic on the internet, and knowing the right port numbers can help in troubleshooting, firewall configuration, and overall service management.
For security purposes, many unused ports are closed by default. In this guide, we’ll provide a comprehensive list of common service ports, broken down by categories.
1. cPanel Services
cPanel is a popular web hosting control panel used to manage websites on a server. Here are the typical ports associated with it:
| Service | Non-SSL Port | SSL Port |
|---|---|---|
| cPanel | 2082 | 2083 |
| WHM | 2086 | 2087 |
| Webmail | 2095 | 2096 |
2. Email Services
Email services use various protocols for sending and receiving mail. Here are the standard ports:
| Service | Standard Port | Alternate Port | SSL Port |
|---|---|---|---|
| POP3 | 110 | 995 | |
| IMAP | 143 | 993 | |
| SMTP | 25 | 26, 587 | 465 |
3. Web Services
These ports cover standard web traffic, databases, and file transfers:
| Service | Port |
|---|---|
| HTTP | 80 |
| SSL (HTTPS) | 443 |
| FTP | 21 |
| FTPs | 990 |
| SFTP | 22 |
| SFTP (Shared/Reseller Servers) | 2222 |
| Webdisk | 2077 |
| Webdisk (SSL) | 2078 |
| MySQL | 3306 |
| MSSQL | 1433 |
4. SSH Services
SSH (Secure Shell) is used for secure remote command-line access to a server:
| Service | Port |
|---|---|
| SSH | 22 |
| SSH (Shared/Reseller Servers) | 2222 |
5. Other Services
This category covers miscellaneous services, including other control panels and remote desktop protocols:
| Service | Port | SSL Port |
|---|---|---|
| Plesk Control Panel | 8880 | 8443 |
| Plesk Linux Webmail* | N/A | |
| Plesk Windows Webmail (SmarterMail)** | 9998 | N/A |
| DotNet Panel | 9001 | |
| DotNet Panel Login | 80 | |
| RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) | 4489 |
* Plesk Linux Webmail is available for access through port 80 via webmail.domain.com. Please replace domain.com with the target URL.
** SmarterMail may only be accessed without SSL, as any attempt to access SmarterMail via HTTPS will result in an error. Accessing email securely on a Windows Plesk server requires the use of a third-party mail client through the standard POP3, IMAP, and SMTP SSL ports specified above.
Conclusion
Understanding these ports is vital for both administrators and end-users. Whether you’re troubleshooting a connection problem, setting up a new service, or configuring a firewall, this guide should be a handy reference.
