Why CompTIA A+ Port Numbers Matter More Than You Think
If you’re preparing for the CompTIA A+ certification, CompTIA A+ port numbers are one of those topics that will absolutely show up on your Core 1 exam (220-1201). Ports live in the Networking domain, which accounts for 20% of Core 1 — the second-largest domain on the exam. With up to 90 questions and only 90 minutes on the clock, you can’t afford to second-guess whether SSH uses port 22 or 23. The good news: once you understand why each port exists, you’ll stop guessing and start knowing.
Let’s break this down protocol by protocol, with the real-world context that makes these numbers stick.
The Master List: Every Port Tested on CompTIA A+ Core 1
Here’s every port number the exam expects you to know, organized by function so they make sense rather than just existing as a list to brute-force memorize.
File Transfer Ports
- Port 20/21 — FTP (File Transfer Protocol): FTP uses two ports — port 21 for control commands (like login and directory navigation) and port 20 for the actual data transfer. FTP sends data in plaintext, which makes it a security risk on modern networks. The exam may ask you to identify FTP as an insecure protocol.
- Port 22 — SSH / SFTP: Secure Shell (SSH) encrypts your remote terminal sessions. SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) runs over the same port and provides a secure alternative to FTP. If a question describes a technician securely connecting to a remote Linux server, port 22 is your answer.
Email Ports
- Port 25 — SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): SMTP is used to send email, specifically between mail servers. Think of it as the postal worker that carries your message from one server to another.
- Port 110 — POP3 (Post Office Protocol v3): POP3 downloads email from the server to your local device and typically deletes it from the server. If a user can only read email on one device, POP3 is likely the culprit.
- Port 143 — IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol): IMAP syncs email across multiple devices without deleting it from the server. It’s why your phone and laptop both show the same inbox. Exam scenario: a user wants email accessible from multiple devices — IMAP is the answer.
Web Traffic Ports
- Port 80 — HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol): The original protocol for web browsing. Unencrypted, which is why modern browsers flag HTTP sites as
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