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Asked: 2024-09-25T00:08:41+05:30 In:

How can I enable specific ports on my Ubuntu system?

I’m really hoping someone can help me out here. So, I’ve been trying to figure out how to enable specific ports on my Ubuntu system. I’ve got this project I’m working on that requires some services to communicate with each other, but I keep hitting a wall because certain ports are just not playing nice.

I’ve done a bit of digging online, but honestly, a lot of the instructions I found were either too technical or just didn’t seem to apply to my version of Ubuntu, which is 20.04 LTS. I’m not completely clueless when it comes to command line stuff, but I wouldn’t say I’m a pro either. It’s kind of frustrating!

From what I gather, it seems like I need to dive into some firewall settings, and I think it’s UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) that Ubuntu uses by default. But here’s where it gets tricky for me. I want to make sure that I’m only opening the ports I need without leaving my system vulnerable. Like, how do I know which ones are safe to open? For instance, I really need to enable ports 8080 and 5432 for my web app and database, but I’m a little scared that I might accidentally open more than I need and compromise my system’s security.

Also, if I open these ports, will they stay open after a reboot? I’ve heard that some changes might not stick unless you do something specific, and I really don’t want to have to reset everything every time my computer restarts.

If someone could walk me through the steps to do this or even just point me towards a good guide that’s not too complicated, I’d honestly appreciate it so much. I’m sure there are a lot of other people who struggle with this too, and it’d be great to have a resource that’s straightforward. Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

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    2 Answers

    1. It sounds like you’re on the right track with UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall). It’s a great tool for managing your firewall settings easily.

      Here’s how to enable specific ports:

      1. Check UFW status: First, let’s see if UFW is enabled. Open your terminal and type:

        sudo ufw status

        If it’s inactive, you can enable it with:

        sudo ufw enable
      2. Allow specific ports: To open the ports you need (8080 and 5432), run the following commands:

        sudo ufw allow 8080
        sudo ufw allow 5432
      3. Verify the changes: After that, you can double-check that the ports are open:

        sudo ufw status

        You should see both ports listed as allowed.

      About security:

      Opening these specific ports should be safe as long as you know what services are using them. Just ensure that the applications communicating on these ports are trustworthy.

      Persistence after reboot:

      The good news is that UFW rules persist after reboot. Once you’ve set it up, the rules will stick unless you change them.

      Need more help?

      For more detailed instructions, you could check out the official Ubuntu firewall documentation, but the steps above should cover your needs! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have more questions.

      Best of luck with your project!



    2. Enabling Ports on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

      To enable specific ports on your Ubuntu 20.04 LTS system, you will indeed want to utilize the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW). First, ensure UFW is installed and enabled. You can do this by running the following commands in your terminal:

      sudo apt update
sudo apt install ufw
sudo ufw enable

      Once UFW is enabled, you can open the specific ports you need while keeping your system secure. For your web app and database, you can open ports 8080 and 5432 by executing:

      sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp
sudo ufw allow 5432/tcp

      These commands will allow traffic through the specified ports. To ensure that your changes persist after a reboot, UFW automatically saves the rules you set. You can check the status of UFW and verify that your rules are active using:

      sudo ufw status

      This command will display the currently active rules, confirming that your ports remain open post-reboot. It’s always good practice to review which ports are essential for your project and only open those, minimizing any security risks.


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