Which port numbers are considered dynamic, or private, port numbers?

Dynamic or private port numbers are defined within the range of 49152 to 65535. These port numbers are typically assigned to client applications dynamically when they initiate a connection, allowing multiple applications to run on the same machine without port conflicts. The operating system selects an available port from this range for the application's use.

This allocation method ensures that these ports are not commonly associated with specific services, unlike well-known ports (1 through 1023), which are reserved for standard protocols like HTTP (port 80), HTTPS (port 443), and FTP (port 21). The range from 1024 to 49151 consists of registered ports, which can be assigned to specific applications but are not as universally reserved as the well-known ports.

Understanding the classification of port numbers helps in network management and troubleshooting, as it allows for an organized approach to handle services and their communications effectively.