Monitoring Checks

Port Check

Verifies that a specific TCP port is open and reachable on your server, useful for monitoring any network service.

Published
Port Check

What are TCP Ports?

A TCP port is a logical endpoint for network communication. While an IP address identifies a machine on a network, a port number identifies a specific process or service running on that machine. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) uses port numbers (0–65535) to multiplex connections — letting one server run dozens of services simultaneously.

Well-known ports (0–1023) are assigned by IANA to standard services. TCP itself is defined in RFC 9293.

What is a Port Check?

A port check attempts to establish a TCP connection to a specific port on your server. This verifies not just that the server is reachable, but that a specific service is listening and accepting connections.

Common Ports to Monitor

  • 80 — HTTP web traffic

  • 443 — HTTPS web traffic

  • 22 — SSH access

  • 3306 — MySQL database

  • 5432 — PostgreSQL database

  • 25 / 587 — Email (SMTP)

Why It Matters

A web server may be running while a critical background service has crashed. Port checks let you monitor individual services independently, giving you a granular view of your infrastructure health.

Further Reading