Mmastodon TechnologyInternet first seen 3 d ago, last 3 d ago, peak #1

Port 0: the port the kernel picks for you

Original: The port that does not exist Ask any program to listen on port 0 and it will hand you a socket on port 47193...or 58037.

Programmers are discussing the odd convention of port 0 in networking. When software asks the operating system to listen on port 0, the kernel does not bind that port — instead it assigns an arbitrary free ephemeral port, such as 47193 or 58037. Port 0 is reserved as a signal meaning 'choose one for me'. The explanation has struck readers as a neat piece of hidden computing trivia.

Why now: A viral technical explainer about how port 0 triggers automatic port assignment by the operating system

port 0operating system kernelsTCP/IP networking

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Evidence

• The port that does not exist Ask any program to listen on port 0 and it will hand you a socket on port 47193...or 58037...or whatever the kernel felt like that day. Port 0 is not a port you can have. It is the number you pass when you want the operating system to pick one for… · osnews@mstdn.social · 17

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