What Does Port Mean?

In working with proxies, a port is like a designated lane for data to travel between devices on a network.

Each device on a network, like your computer or phone, has its unique IP address. Think of ports as subdivisions within these addresses, each serving a different purpose. For example, HTTP traffic might flow through port 9001, while SOCKS5 proxies have a range from 11000 to 11010 for rotating proxies, and 12000 to 12010 for sticky proxies.

When setting up a proxy, you'll often need to choose a specific port number. This is the doorway on the proxy server that your device uses to send and receive data. Different types of proxy connections, like HTTP, HTTPS, or SOCKS, might require different port numbers.

Thus, a port is a specific channel for data to move across a network. When setting up a proxy, you'll specify a port number to connect through the proxy server.