Discovering Applications on Port 80 and Changing Ports on Windows

Part 1: Discovering Applications on Port 80

1. Using Command Prompt

Open Command Prompt as an administrator. The netstat command with the find option can help identify processes using port 80.

• netstat: A command-line tool that displays network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, masquerade connections, and more.
• -ano: Displays active network connections and includes the process ID (PID).
• find “80”: Filters the output to show only lines containing “80.”

Make note of the PID associated with port 80. You can cross-reference this PID with Task Manager.

2. Using Task Manager

1. Open Task Manager by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting “Task Manager” or pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
2. In Task Manager, click on the “Processes” tab.
3. Click on “View” in the menu and select “Columns.”
4. Check the box for “PID (Process Identifier).”
5. Locate the process with the PID identified using the netstat command.

Part 2: Changing Ports for Apache and Tomcat

1. Changing Apache Port

Step 1: Locate Apache Configuration

Navigate to your Apache installation directory. Commonly, it’s in C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2 or C:\Program Files (x86)\Apache Group\Apache2.

Step 2: Open httpd.conf

Inside the conf directory, find and open the httpd.conf file with a text editor (e.g., Notepad).

Step 3: Change Listen Port

Search for the line containing Listen 80 and change 80 to your desired port, e.g., 8080.

Save the file.

Step 4: Restart Apache

Restart the Apache service to apply the changes. This can usually be done using the Apache Service Monitor or through the Windows Services application.

2. Changing Tomcat Port

Step 1: Locate Tomcat Configuration

Navigate to your Tomcat installation directory. Commonly, it’s in C:\Program Files\Apache Tomcat.

Step 2: Open server.xml

Inside the conf directory, find and open the server.xml file with a text editor.

Step 3: Change Connector Port

Search for the <Connector> element with port="80" and change 80 to your desired port, e.g., 8080.

Save the file.

Step 4: Restart Tomcat

Restart the Tomcat service to apply the changes. You can do this through the Tomcat Service Manager or the Windows Services application.

Known Applications Using Port 80

Port 80 is commonly used by web servers and various applications. Some well-known applications include:

• Apache HTTP Server: A widely used open-source web server.
• Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS): A web server developed by Microsoft.
• Nginx: A popular web server and reverse proxy server.
• Skype: Skype may use ports 80 and 443 for outbound connections.

It’s important to note that Skype and other applications may use these ports for specific functionalities, and the ports they use can vary based on factors like versions and configurations.

Conclusion

In this in-depth tutorial, we’ve covered the process of discovering applications on port 80 using both Command Prompt and Task Manager on Windows. Additionally, we provided detailed steps for changing the default ports for Apache and Tomcat, including locating configuration files, modifying settings, and restarting services.

Remember, changing default ports enhances security and helps avoid conflicts. Always ensure that the new ports you choose are not used by other applications, and restart the services to apply the changes effectively.