PORTUnencryptedIANA assigned
Port 8080HTTP alternate
Port 8080 is the IANA-registered alternative to port 80 (http-alt). It is widely used by HTTP proxies, Java application servers such as Tomcat, and development servers when port 80 is taken or requires administrator rights.
What port 8080 is used for
IANA registers 8080 as http-alt, an alternate port for HTTP, and that is exactly how it is used. Three groups of software rely on it:
- Application servers. Apache Tomcat listens on 8080 out of the box, and many Java web applications (Jenkins, Jira, Confluence, Nexus) inherit that default. A reverse proxy on port 80 or 443 usually sits in front of them in production.
- Proxies. Squid, Privoxy, Fiddler, Charles, mitmproxy, Burp Suite and corporate web proxies commonly accept client connections on 8080. If your browser is configured to use a proxy, 8080 is the typical port in that setting.
- Development servers. Frameworks that do not use 3000, 5000 or 8000 by default often pick 8080, as do many Docker images when they publish a web interface.
Consumer routers, IP cameras and printers sometimes expose an administration page on 8080 as well, particularly when port 80 is reserved for something else.
What 8080 does not mean
Port 8080 is not a "secure HTTP" port, an HTTPS port or a Java-only port. It carries whatever the listening application chooses. Most applications serve plain HTTP on it; a few (Tomcat with an SSL connector, for instance) can be configured to serve TLS there, but 8443 is the more usual choice for that.
Security considerations
- Development defaults leak into production. A Tomcat or Jenkins instance left listening on 8080 on all interfaces, with default credentials, is a classic exposure. Bind development servers to
127.0.0.1unless remote access is intended. - Proxy ports invite abuse. An open proxy on 8080 that accepts connections from the internet will be found and used to relay traffic. Restrict proxies to the networks they serve.
- Check router admin pages. If a router's web interface answers on the WAN side on 8080, remote management is enabled. Turn it off unless you need it and have changed the password.
How to check port 8080
Is something listening locally? On Windows, open Command Prompt and run:
netstat -ano | findstr :8080A line in the LISTENING state means a local program has bound port 8080; the last column is its process ID (PID). Match the PID in Task Manager (Details tab) or with tasklist /fi "PID eq <pid>". On Linux or macOS the equivalent is ss -tulnp | grep :8080 or lsof -i :8080.
Can you reach it on a remote host? PowerShell's built-in connection test attempts a TCP handshake:
Test-NetConnection example.com -Port 8080TcpTestSucceeded : True means the remote system accepted a TCP connection on port 8080. False means the port is closed, filtered by a firewall, or the host is unreachable; the output's ping result helps tell those apart.
See the netstat and Test-NetConnection records for the full option sets.
Firewall considerations
Allow inbound TCP 8080 only for the hosts that must reach the application. For a developer workstation, the right answer is usually to allow nothing inbound and access the service via localhost. If a proxy on 8080 serves a LAN, scope the rule to that subnet.
On Windows, inbound rules live in Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security (wf.msc). A rule allowing port 8080 only takes effect on the profile (Domain, Private, Public) it is assigned to. The command-line equivalent is netsh advfirewall firewall add rule; see the netsh record.
Frequently asked questions
Why do developers use 8080 instead of 80?
On Linux and macOS, binding a port below 1024 needs root privileges. On any system, port 80 may already be taken by a web server. 8080 avoids both problems and is visually reminiscent of 80.
Is 8080 secure?
The port itself is neither secure nor insecure. Traffic on 8080 is plain HTTP unless the application wraps it in TLS, so treat it like port 80: fine on a private network, not appropriate for sensitive data across the internet.
Something is listening on 8080 on my PC. What is it?
Run netstat -ano | findstr :8080, note the PID, and look it up in Task Manager. Common owners are Jenkins, Tomcat, a Docker-published container, a game launcher or a proxy tool.