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Can someone demystify computer Ports for me? Please? Blocking, unblocking, opening, allowing, VPNs and their effect, what ports are and what they do, step by step, when you have to interact with them? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 7 months ago by Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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It's the one thing when I'm configuring things that makes me wince because I know it will give me the business, and I know it shouldn't, but it does, every time. I have no real idea what I'm doing, what it is, how it works, so of course I'm blindly following instructions like a monkey at a typewriter.

Please guide me into enlightenment.

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[–] promitheas@iusearchlinux.fyi 35 points 7 months ago (1 children)

To add to your analogy if i may, the firewall is kind of like a security guard or doorman at the building entrance. All mail has to go through him first and if something is addressed to a closed flat (port) he simply doesnt let it get delivered.

[–] 520@kbin.social 17 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Yep! The security guard is also given a bunch of rules to follow such as "don't let anyone outside of our neighbourhood (aka your local network) contact door 22", which will also determine whether messages get delivered or not