- Port
- 22
- Protocol used by the service
- TCP
- IANA registrations
- TCP/UDP/SCTP
- Encryption
- Encrypted
- IANA description
- The Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol
- IANA service name
- ssh
Note: IANA has formally registered SSH on TCP/UDP/SCTP, but in real-world practice this service operates over TCP only — a formal registration on a transport doesn't guarantee the protocol is actually implemented or used over it. This page's Protocol field reflects genuine usage, not just the registry entry.
What port 22 is used for
Secure remote command-line access to servers and network devices, and the transport for related tools like SCP, SFTP, and Git-over-SSH.
Is port 22 encrypted?
Encrypted by design — SSH replaced Telnet specifically because Telnet sent everything, including credentials, in plaintext.
Firewall & exposure considerations
Commonly left open for remote administration, which makes it a frequent target for automated brute-force and credential-stuffing scans. Restricting access to known IP ranges, disabling password auth in favor of keys, and changing the listening port (security-through-obscurity, not a real control on its own) are common mitigations.
Related ports
References
Look up any other port
Search the full IANA registry — all 6,100+ ports and 12,500+ protocol-specific records — on the Port Lookup tool.
Last reviewed: . Data source: IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry. Security and usage notes are this site's own editorial content, not official IANA data.