- Port
- 8080
- Protocol used by the service
- TCP
- IANA registrations
- TCP/UDP
- Encryption
- Varies by configuration
- IANA description
- HTTP Alternate (see port 80)
- IANA service name
- http-alt
Note: IANA has formally registered HTTP Alternate on TCP/UDP, 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 8080 is used for
A very common alternate HTTP port — used for development servers, application servers, proxies, and admin panels that do not want to (or cannot, without elevated privileges) bind to port 80 directly.
Is port 8080 encrypted?
Not encrypted by design any more than port 80 is — whether a given service on 8080 uses TLS depends entirely on how that specific service is configured.
Firewall & exposure considerations
Often used for admin panels and internal tools that were never meant to be internet-facing but end up exposed anyway — worth auditing what is actually listening on this port on any server you manage.
Common questions about port 8080
Is port 8080 the same as port 80?
Both are used for HTTP, but they are not interchangeable. RFC 9110 defines TCP port 80 as the default for http:// URLs, so a client uses it only when the URL leaves the port out. A service on 8080 has to be addressed explicitly, as in http://host:8080/. What actually answers on 8080 depends entirely on how that server was configured.
Does port 8080 mean HTTP or HTTPS?
Neither by itself. The port number does not decide whether a connection is HTTP or HTTPS: the URL scheme tells the client which to use, and the server listening on the port has to be configured to match. A service on 8080 can be set up for TLS, in which case https://host:8080/ works; if it is not, that URL fails.
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.