Introduction:
The terms “plain” and “HTTPS” refer to different protocols for encrypted and plain communication. 95% of online traffic is served over HTTPS (encrypted protocol) as opposed to HTTP (insecure protocol), according to Google’s transparency report. Port handles all web traffic, whether it is encrypted or not. Typically, the HTTP protocol uses port 80, while the HTTPS protocol uses port 443.
The differences between Port 80 (HTTP) and Port 443 (HTTPS) as well as how to enable each on various operating systems will be covered in this article.
Due to the usage of unencrypted transmission protocols, which make them vulnerable to eavesdropping by hostile parties, internet traffic is at danger. You should have a firm understanding of data transfer if you intend to sit for the Network+ exam in the future.
Ports 80 and 443 are used for HTTP and HTTPS, which are by far the most popular transmission protocols. Prior to getting too involved with other protocols, let’s make sure we comprehend the function of port 80.
What are the Ports?
Port is typically used to inform a computer about the kind of data that is sent or received across a comparable network connection. Every port has a unique set of features and a port number, such as 80, 443, 21, 25, etc. A port is an endpoint for communication to different Transport Layer Protocols; it is a virtual numerical address.
Data transfer over the Internet uses Transport Layer protocols, such as User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Transfer Control Protocol (TCP).
TCP is utilized when data security is crucial, but UDP is typically used for huge volumes of data transfer where security is not as important.
About Port 80:
The well-known and beloved HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol) protocol resides on port 80. A web browser like Chrome or Firefox will use port 80 (or port 443—but we’ll talk about that later) to request a web page from a server. As one might expect, port 80 is essential to the internet.
By default, HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) connections use port 80. It is a well-known and frequently utilized port worldwide. Tim Berners-Lee introduced port 80 in the HTTP 0.9 document in 1991. According to the paper, Port 80 is used by default when no port is defined for an HTTP connection. You can access the World Wide Web (WWW) with it.
This port allows a user to connect to websites that are accessible over the internet. It indicates that this port is used for unencoded data transfer between the user’s browser and the server. TCP (Transfer Control Protocol), a protocol used for data transfer, is related to this port.
Importance of Port 80 to the Internet:
The internet’s entrance door is located on port 80. That is, however, no longer entirely true with the introduction of HTTPS. The default port for HTTP is 80. Every time you visit a webpage, port 80 is used. Through that port, the browser makes a GET request to the server, which responds with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which the browser interprets and then renders on your screen.
Is Port 80 Encrypted?
The key point to keep in mind in this situation is that ports are not encrypted by default. On the other hand, they can encrypt them using protocols. Consider a port to be a door. Although doors are not naturally secure, they are easily locked. Your door will therefore be secure if you follow the lock protocol.
Considering that port 80 is an unencrypted port, HTTP is the default protocol.
Why to use Port 80?
Port 80 is useful for many purposes. Receiving traffic from the internet is the main cause. Software developers can test the functionality of websites using port 80 without having to worry about the intricacies of encryption. Load balancers can use port 80. Port 80 will be used by the load balancers to receive traffic, which will subsequently be divided across the shared servers.
There is a major warning regarding port 80: do not use it on any publicly accessible websites. Your site will appear lower in Google search results as a result of the impact on your SEO rating.
Our next section will cover the final use of port 80, which is to reroute an unencrypted URL to an encrypted one on port 443!
About Port 443:
The secure version of HTTP, known as HTTPS (HyperText Transport Protocol Secure), uses port 443 by default. You could notice a padlock to the left of the web address when you’re browsing the internet. The site employs HTTPS, as indicated by that padlock. This implies that it will be far more difficult to intercept data that is transferred to and from the server.
Is Port 443 encrypted?
When data is transmitted over an encrypted channel, it becomes unidentifiable to anyone listening on the port or using WireShark to sniff out packets. A key is exchanged at the beginning of a session between a server and a node. Data is encrypted using this key before it is sent and decrypted at its destination.
Asymmetric encryption, which uses a public key and a private key, is used to accomplish this operation. The public key can be distributed to anyone who wants to transact business with the server, while the private key is kept on the server.
Consider it akin to a safe. Anyone with the public key can lock and place a message inside the safe.
HTTPS Certificate:
All of this is related to the fact that all HTTPS-compliant websites must renew their certificates annually. The private key is kept on the server, and when a new certificate is created, it only includes the public key.
The public key is taken out of the certificate and utilized by the browser to start a secure session each time you visit an HTTPS website. A session key is generated by the server and client during the TCP handshake. Afterwards, using the session key, the server decrypts everything in the session.
Alternative to Port 443:
In theory, any port can be used using HTTPS. Since port 443 is the HTTPS protocol’s default port, everyone uses it. Because the protocol is so widely used, having a port that is universally recognized as being connected to HTTPS makes things easier.
Furthermore, firewall configurations are made under the presumption that HTTPS would be used on port 443. Therefore, a firewall will most likely prevent an HTTPS connection sent via port 444.
Ultimately, your best bet with HTTPS is to use port 443.
Let’s compare each port side by side now.
Differences between Port 80 and Port 443:
- While data communication in plain text is possible via Port 80, data transmission via a secured network is possible via Port 443. Should a user attempt to access a non-HTTPS website, they will receive an insecure warning.
- While Port 443 permits HTTPS protocol, meaning all data travels between the server and the browser remains encrypted, Port 80 allows HTTP protocol, meaning all data travels between the browser and the server in plain text.
- Due to security concerns, nearly all browsers have switched to HTTPS, making HTTP obsolete. Google launched “HTTPS Everywhere” in an effort to improve web security.
- While it is difficult to sniff the data on port 443, attackers can readily sniff current communication on port 80.
- HTTPS was published in 1994 RFC 1700, although port 80 entered into force in 1991 and was documented in the HTTP 0.9 specification.
- When consumers visit an HTTP webpage, their browser will provide a warning; however, HTTPS enabled webpages do not issue any warnings.
- As previously mentioned, port 80 and port 443 vary primarily in that the later is encrypted while the former is not.
- The fact that each one sends packets using a different transfer protocol, however, is another significant distinction. TLS, a secure variant of TCP, is used by HTTPS, while TCP is used by HTTP.
Conclusion:
One of the most fascinating parts of preparing for the Network+ exam is learning about port 80 versus port 443. We hardly even realize how frequently we utilize them in our daily lives.
But as was previously mentioned, it is crucial to exercise caution when creating any HTTPS connection, particularly an HTTP connection. Having gained a thorough understanding of HTTP protocols, you may find it helpful to examine network topologies in their whole to comprehend their true flow. Cheers to your successful networking!
FAQs:
What is port forwarding?
Ans: A networking technique known as port forwarding enables incoming traffic to be sent, based on its port number, to a particular device on a network. It is frequently used to permit access to servers or other resources that are protected by network address translation (NAT) hardware, like routers, or firewalls.
Mention any Port 80 security vulnerabilities.
Ans: Data Tampering: Since the information is in plain text, it is possible for a malevolent actor to intercept it and alter it before it reaches its intended location.
Injection Attacks: When a line is unsafe, cross-site scripting is much simpler to execute. This is so because HTTPS verifies that data packages are arriving from the intended origin, something HTTP does not accomplish.
What are the different ports that one can use for internet traffic?
Ans: Numerous more ports are frequently utilized for different kinds of internet traffic. A few of the more popular ports are as follows:
Email transmission via the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) uses port 25.
Domain Name System (DNS) communication, which resolves domain names to IP addresses, passes through port 53.
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