Common proxy ports
The ports proxies actually run on, what each one is, and how many free proxies answer on it right now. Every port links to its own live list.
| Port | What it is | Live now | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8080HTTP alternate | The conventional alternate web port, used when port 80 is taken or requires privileges the software does not have. | 2,789 | View list → |
| 999Compact alternate | A three-digit high port with no standard service attached. | 1,471 | View list → |
| 1080SOCKS | The IANA-assigned port for the SOCKS protocol, used by both SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 since the specification was published. | 1,022 | View list → |
| 3128Squid default | The default listening port of Squid, the most widely deployed open-source caching proxy. | 970 | View list → |
| 80HTTP | The standard port for unencrypted web traffic; every browser assumes it when a URL carries no port. | 664 | View list → |
| 4145SOCKS4 convention | Not an IANA assignment but a long-standing convention for SOCKS4 services, inherited from widely-circulated server builds. | 377 | View list → |
| 8081HTTP alternate | A spillover web port, typically chosen when 8080 is already occupied on the same machine. | 373 | View list → |
| 3129Squid neighbour | The port directly above Squid's default, commonly used for a second Squid instance or an intercept listener. | 278 | View list → |
| 8888HTTP alternate | A conventional alternate web port, notably the default of several debugging proxies and local web tools. | 246 | View list → |
| 1081SOCKS neighbour | The port directly above the SOCKS assignment, used for second instances or port-forwarded SOCKS services. | 245 | View list → |
| 5678SOCKS convention | A port with no meaningful IANA role that became a de-facto home for SOCKS services in public proxy lists. | 241 | View list → |
| 8118Privoxy default | The default port of Privoxy, a filtering web proxy often deployed in front of anonymity networks. | 207 | View list → |
| 443HTTPS | The standard port for TLS-encrypted web traffic, and the one port effectively no firewall blocks outbound. | 184 | View list → |
| 9999High alternate | A memorable high port with no reserved role, popular for ad-hoc services of every kind. | 134 | View list → |
| 9090HTTP alternate | A common unprivileged web port, the default admin or web port of several server tools. | 100 | View list → |
| 8000Development HTTP | A common unprivileged web port, the default of many development servers and lightweight HTTP daemons. | 100 | View list → |
| 10000Round high port | The first five-digit round number, conventionally the default of the Webmin admin panel among other tools. | 72 | View list → |
| 808Compact alternate | A three-digit echo of 8080 with no reserved role of its own. | 59 | View list → |
Other busy ports
Ports without a famous default service that still carry a real cluster of proxies, by live count.
What a proxy port is
If an IP address is a building, a port is a numbered door. A single machine exposes tens of thousands of ports, and each one can run a different service, which is how one server can host a website on one port and accept proxy connections on another. You connect to a proxy as an address and a port together, and the port is not optional: the same address on the wrong port reaches nothing.
Ports fall into three ranges. The well-known ports below 1024 are reserved for standard services and need elevated privileges to bind, which is why web traffic sits on 80 and 443. The registered range up to 49151 is where most proxy software lives, 8080, 3128 and 1080 among it. The dynamic range above that is for short-lived connections, though scanners and public lists drag a long tail of proxies up there too.
Which port a proxy uses is mostly convention and habit rather than rule. Software ships with a default, operators pick memorable numbers, and public lists keep re-testing the ports they already know, so the busy ports stay busy. What the port never tells you is whether an individual proxy is fast, private or still alive, which is measured per address, not per port.
Questions about proxy ports
What port do proxies use?
There is no single proxy port, but a handful dominate. HTTP proxies cluster on 8080, 3128 and 80; SOCKS proxies on 1080 and 4145; and anything can appear on 443 to travel through strict firewalls. The table above shows the live count on each, which is the honest answer to which ports are busiest right now.
What is the default proxy port?
It depends on the software. Squid, the most common open-source proxy, defaults to 3128. Proxy tools that cannot use privileged ports default to 8080. SOCKS servers default to 1080. A proxy can be configured to listen anywhere, so the default is a convention of the software, not a rule of the protocol.
Why do proxies use port 8080 so often?
Ports below 1024 need elevated privileges to bind, so proxy software that runs as an ordinary user reaches for 8080, the conventional alternate web port. That, plus scanners checking it first, has made 8080 the single most published proxy port there is.
Is the port part of connecting to a proxy?
Yes. You connect to a proxy as an address and a port together, like 203.0.113.9:8080. The same address without the right port points at nothing, which is why every entry in a proxy list carries both.
Does the port tell me if a proxy is safe or fast?
No. The port is only which door the service listens behind. It says nothing about speed, anonymity or whether the proxy is still alive, all of which we measure per address on its own page. A proxy on a common port is not safer than one on an unusual port; it is just easier to find.