HTTP Proxy / Alternative HTTP
What is Port 8080?
Port 8080 is the most widely used alternative HTTP port, serving as the de facto standard for HTTP proxy servers, application servers, and development environments. Originally popularized by Squid proxy server and Apache Tomcat, port 8080 is now ubiquitous. It's used when port 80 is unavailable, occupied, or requires root privileges. Application servers like Tomcat, Jetty, WildFly, and Spring Boot default to or commonly use port 8080. Web proxies including Squid, Privoxy, and Burp Suite use it. Development servers, CI/CD tools (Jenkins), monitoring systems, and countless internal web applications run on 8080. The port is so well-known that many firewalls and security tools treat it as a secondary HTTP port.
Common Uses
- Apache Tomcat and Java application servers
- HTTP proxy servers (Squid, Privoxy)
- Jenkins CI/CD web interface
- Development and staging web servers
- Internal web applications and APIs
Technical Details
Copy-paste commands to check port 8080 (HTTP Proxy / Alternative HTTP) from your terminal
Test connectivity
nc -zv example.com 8080
curl -v --max-time 5 http://example.com:8080/
telnet example.com 8080
nmap -p 8080 -sV example.com
(echo > /dev/tcp/example.com/8080) 2>/dev/null && echo "open" || echo "closed"
Open port in firewall
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8080/tcp && sudo firewall-cmd --reload
Security Considerations
Port 8080 is frequently targeted by scanners looking for proxy servers, development panels, and misconfigured services. Implement the same security measures as port 80 — authentication, input validation, rate limiting. Use TLS (port 8443) where possible. Don't expose development services on 8080 to the internet. Monitor for open proxy abuse if running proxy services.
Popular Ports Reference
The most commonly used and referenced network ports