What is the difference between FTP port 20 and 21?

Port numbers 21 and 20 are used for FTP. Port 21 is used to establish the connection between the 2 computers (or hosts) and port 20 to transfer data (via the Data channel). But there are some instances where port 21 is used for both, establishing a connection and data transfer and I will analyse them shortly.

What is the purpose of using FTP port 21?

Uploading and downloading files via FTP is done through a separate data channel, usually connecting to the server through Port 20. Meanwhile, your Port 21 connection allows you to enter FTP commands and browse file listings on the server.

What FTP 21?

FTP Port 21 is the Default Control Port

After the correct FTP username and password are entered through FTP client software, the FTP server software opens port 21 by default. This is sometimes called the command or control port by default.

Does FTP use other ports than 21 or 22?

People who constantly deal with servers and create them have heard about the number 21. For them, it is significant, as many servers and protocols, not only FTP, use 21 port. However, by default, FTP uses two specified ports, namely 20 and 21. Port 21 is mostly used for management whereas port 20 is for data transfer.

Which port is best for FTP?

The FTP protocol typically uses port 21 as its main means of communication. An FTP server will listen for client connections on port 21.

Understanding FTP Ports: File Transfer

Should I change FTP port?

It is not safe to use ftp over any port. Those who have a malicious intent to get in your network or system will not scan your system for port 21 but for all ports, and will figure the other port in virtually no time. You are better with sftp as your file transfer tool.

Why is port 21 Risky?

TCP port 21 connects FTP servers to the internet. FTP servers carry numerous vulnerabilities such as anonymous authentication capabilities, directory traversals, and cross-site scripting, making port 21 an ideal target.

Should I open port 21?

The protocol contains well-known design flaws that can be used by attackers. This port should be blocked. Port 21 – Used by FTP to allow file transfers. Most hosts on your network are not intended to be FTP Servers - don't leave doors open that don't need to be open.

What is TCP 20?

The TCP and UDP port 20 is dedicated for the FTP protocol data transfer. The FTP protocol uses a pair of connections to manage and transmit data. The FTP protocol uses the port 21 in order to start communcation, authentication and starting transmission but the data is transmitted over the port 20.

How do I know if FTP port 21 is open?

Is TCP 21 encrypted?

For example, legacy FTP traffic that is transmitted over TCP port 21 is not a secure protocol. Files, credentials, and other information traversing FTP are transmitted in cleartext with no encryption.

Why do we need two ports in FTP?

FTP is an old protocol. That's really the only reason. The designers thought that the amount of data flowing over the data port would make it so that they couldn't send control commands in a timely manner, so they did it as two ports.

What is the difference between port 21 and 22?

Anyway, port 21 is used for FTP protocol (and FTPS with explicit TLS/SSL encryption). Port 22 is used for SSH/SFTP protocol. WinSCP automatically uses the correct port number, when you specify the respective protocol. Usually it is not necessary to specify the port number explicitly.

How do I allow port 21?

Can I close port 21?

Open the advanced settings.

To the left of the screen should be a menu, click on the advanced settings button. Under "exceptions" find Port 21. It will be listed as open. Remove the exception and restart your computer.

Do firewalls block FTP?

If you're having trouble connecting with FTP, it may be blocked by your firewall. Check your firewall's logs to see if it's been blocking connecting to or from the server IP you're trying to connect to.

What ports should never be open?

Can I use any port for FTP?

You can use any port not already in use. Running netstat from an elevated command prompt will give you a list of ports in use. People usually use port 2121 or 8021 as an alternative port for FTP. Although some ports are more frequently scanned by hackers, no port is intrinsically more insecure than others.

Can FTP use port 22?

Unlike FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS), SFTP only needs a single port to establish a server connection — port 22.

Is port 22 secure?

As such, Port 22 is subject to countless, unauthorized login attempts by hackers who are attempting to access unsecured servers. A highly effective deterrent is to simply turn off Port 22 and run the service on a seemingly random port above 1024 (and up to 65535).

How do I change my FTP port 21?

What is secure FTP port?

SFTP, which stands for SSH (or Secure) File Transfer Protocol, usually runs on Port 22 (but can be assigned whatever port you want) and is a way for transferring files between machines over a Secure and Encrypted Connection, unlike FTP, which transfers data over an insecure and unencrypted connection.