What SSL Certificate Port Does SSL Use?
What is an “SSL Certificate Port?”
Many wrongly assume that SSL certificates use port numbers. But the fact is that HTTPS is what uses a port number and it is not the SSL certificate that uses a port number. The port HTTPS uses is 443.
SSL Certificate Port vs. HTTPS Port
Whenever you come across the term SSL certificate port number, remember that it is not actually the SSL certificate port, but it is the HTTPS port. Software uses memory addresses to communicate with hardware and those memory addresses are nothing but ports. You might have come across ports into which cables or wires of external devices are plugged in. However, we are not referring to the physical ports but to I/O addresses.
Ports organize data that is being transferred. While port 80 is used by HTTP traffic, 443 is the port that HTTPS uses. This is the reason why the HTTPS port 443 is often referred to as the SSL certificate port.
What are the different HTTPS / SSL Certificate Ports?
Porting occurs in the transport layer, the third layer of the TCP/IP model. This layer plays an important role in making the internet connection faster. While there are over 65,000 ports, they are numbered from 0000h to FFFFh and this count is so high that you cannot count.
Here is how to check your computer’s ports.
- Open Device Manager on your computer
- Click on View
- Select Resources by Connection
- Click on Input/Output (IO) and you will see the following screen
Conclusion
If you had been wondering what port an SSL uses, we hope this article helped you understand what an SSL certificate port is. Now that you know how ports work, you can easily check your computer’s ports using the instructions mentioned above. If you still have not secured your website with an SSL, it is time to secure your website with an SSL certificate to make sure your website visitors, as well as your website, are safe.