What is port 443 and how to open it?

As a rule, people know about the existence of such a thing as a closed port, not under the most pleasant circumstances. Most often this happens in the case when any computer program refuses to work properly. The message about the need to open the 443 port can appear in the window of the program itself. Also it can be found on the forum devoted to this problem. In any case, we suggest that you go a little deeper into this topic and, accordingly, understand what port 443 is, how to open it and whether it should be done.

What kind of ports are these?

The fact that each computer has its own IP-address in the network is hardly something that is not known today. At the same time, almost nothing is known about the so-called "ports" to most users.

So, to understand the essence of the term "port", it is worthwhile to imagine a long building with a huge number of doors. To make the reality more consistent, the number of these doors should be equal to 65,536, with each door must have its own serial number, starting from zero. In this case, a large building is your computer, located in the network, and ports - these same doors.

Why do we need so many ports?

Most of them do not carry in themselves anything special and are used for different purposes. For example, when you download a file or watch movies online, your computer establishes a connection between any of its free ports and the server port from which you receive information. Once the data transfer is complete, the port is released.

At the same time, some (including port 443) have quite clear assignments. For example, 99.99% of sites are viewed through port number 80. That is, when you want to go to "Odnoklassniki", for example, your computer "knocks" at door number 80 of the server "Odnoklassnikov" and asks to give him a page.

What is port 443?

As you might have guessed, our port also has a special purpose, otherwise why would you dedicate an entire article to it? However, we have already mentioned its purpose - this port is also used more often for browsing sites, however, while its 80th colleague gives out information as is, 443 port pre-encrypts it, so that on a long way from the server to your computer no one I could not intercept the page, let alone make changes to it.

Previously, the services of this port were resorted to except that the Internet banking system, which does not want to disclose information about monetary transactions, at the same time today the same "Classmates" or "VKontakte" use a "safe" port in the most ordinary cases, for example, when you are browsing Your messages or "like" others' photos.

Why can the port be closed?

So, why can port 443 be closed? There are several possible reasons for this:

• Access to it is blocked by the firewall program (or firewall);
• The port can be blocked by the administrator of your network;
• The port may not be "registered" on the router.

Asserting that port 443 is closed, you can keep in mind several things: first, it can mean that the program on your computer can not access the server port, and secondly, the computer from the outside can not access your computer's port . Each of these cases, as well as the reasons for its occurrence, require rather detailed consideration, so do not expect detailed instructions from us. Nevertheless, we can tell you where to "dig".

How to open the port in the firewall?

Let's start with a simple firewall program. This application is available on every modern computer and is used to ensure that the programs do not "break" anywhere. Despite the fact that the 443 port is rarely included in the blocked list, it still makes sense to add it to the number of allowed ones. Let's look at how this can be done with the example of Windows 7/8 / 8.1.

To open port 443, you need to do the following:

1. Open the control panel. The universal way to do this is to press the Win + R keys, enter the word control in the appeared window and click "OK";
2. Make sure that the "Large icons" display mode is enabled in the upper right corner (see the figure above), then click on "Windows Firewall";
3. Now you have several scenarios for further action: either you disable the firewall completely, or give full access to your program.

A screen similar to this should appear on your screen:

To disable the firewall, click on the item "Enable or Disable Windows Firewall." It is on the left, in the middle of the list. Next, put all the switches in the positions that are circled in the following figure, then click the "OK" button. After the problem is resolved, we would recommend returning everything to its original position. After all, if you leave the firewall disabled, there is a certain risk that a different "muck" that gets on your computer, can report this to your creator and begin to use actions that are of little use to you.

To add a specific program to the list of allowed and allow it access to port 443, as well as any others, select the item that is circled in red in the picture above. In the appeared list it is necessary to find an application that does not want to work as it should, and then put a tick in all fields opposite it. So you give the operating system an opportunity to understand that this program can "communicate" with both your home devices and with the whole world. Ends our "operation" with an elegant click on the "OK" button and closing all now unnecessary windows.

What should I do if the port is closed by the administrator?

How to open ports 443, 80, 21, etc., if they were blocked by the system administrator? This question is most often concerned with office workers who can not take advantage of the usual program in the workplace. In this case, there are only two options for solving the problem: if the program is needed for work, you can refer to the management or to the administrator personally, so that he provides you with an opportunity to work fruitfully, if the program is necessary for entertainment, then you just have to accept or look for approaches To a bearded uncle in a sweater. Hint: admins eat and drink, however strange it may sound.

How to open the port on the router?

If you decide to create a small web or mail server on your home computer, then you should refer to your router's instructions on how to open ports 443, 80, 110, 25 and others. Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this question, since the solution to this problem depends on the equipment manufacturer, the device control panel and many other factors.