ports

[M3mph15]

forgive me if this question has been asked already.
What are ports????
Please dont neg me if this question has been asked previously

[MemorY]

Ports
Any server machine makes its services available to the Internet using numbered ports, one for each service that is available on the server. For example, if a server machine is running a Web server and an FTP server, the Web server would typically be available on port 80, and the FTP server would be available on port 21. Clients connect to a service at a specific IP address and on a specific port.
Each of the most well-known services is available at a well-known port number. Here are some common port numbers:

echo 7
daytime 13
qotd 17 (Quote of the Day)
ftp 21
telnet 23
smtp 25 (Simple Mail Transfer, meaning e-mail)
time 37
nameserver 42
nicname 43 (Who Is)
gopher 70
finger 79
WWW 80
If the server machine accepts connections on a port from the outside world, and if a firewall is not protecting the port, you can connect to the port from anywhere on the Internet and use the service. Note that there is nothing that forces, for example, a Web server to be on port 80. If you were to set up your own machine and load Web server software on it, you could put the Web server on port 918, or any other unused port, if you wanted to. Then, if your machine were known as xxx.yyy.com, someone on the Internet could connect to your server with the URL http://xxx.yyy.com:918. The ":918" explicitly specifies the port number, and would have to be included for someone to reach your server. When no port is specified, the browser simply assumes that the server is using the well-known port 80.

list of ports: http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-server6.htm

[Algaen]

MemorY answered the question way better than I ever could but I just wanted to make a quick comment:

forgive me if this question has been asked already.
What are ports????
Please dont neg me if this question has been asked previously

First and most importantly: the site has a search function for a reason. Take 5 minutes and do a search for ports on AO and see if anything answers your question. If not, then say you couldn't find anything on the site.
And secondly is the repititious AO standard (you have 67 posts under your belt so you've probably heard it) use google, it can probably give you a link to a site that will answer the question about as well as MemorY did.

[MemorY]

actually i did a quick search on google and it is kinda hard to find what a port really is. The results are pages that show lists of ports and stuff so i went to how stuff works and searched for web-services.

[M3mph15]

you were of great help