Port 115: SFTP (legacy)
Port 115 is the Simple File Transfer Protocol, a simplified, rarely used file transfer scheme from the early internet. It is unrelated to the SFTP most people mean today, which is SSH File Transfer Protocol running over port 22.
| Port number | 115 |
|---|---|
| Service | Simple File Transfer Protocol |
| Protocol | TCP |
| Category | File transfer |
| Default encryption | No |
How do I check whether port 115 is open?
Port 115 carries TCP, so a connection either completes its handshake or it does not, which makes the check definitive.
| Question | Command | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Is it open on a remote host? | nc -vz example.com 115 | A TCP handshake either completes or it does not, so netcat gives a definitive answer in one line. |
| Same check on Windows | Test-NetConnection example.com -Port 115 | Built into PowerShell. TcpTestSucceeded in the output is the answer; telnet is not installed by default on modern Windows. |
| What is listening locally? | ss -tlnp | grep ':115 ' | Lists the process bound to port 115 on Linux. On macOS use lsof -nP -iTCP:115 -sTCP:LISTEN, on Windows netstat -ano | findstr :115 |
Replace example.com with the host you are testing. A blocked port and a port with nothing listening on it look identical from the outside, so if a service should be running, check locally before blaming the firewall.
Frequently asked questions
What is port 115 used for?
Port 115 is the Simple File Transfer Protocol, a simplified, rarely used file transfer scheme from the early internet. It is unrelated to the SFTP most people mean today, which is SSH File Transfer Protocol running over port 22.
Is port 115 TCP or UDP?
Port 115 (SFTP (legacy)) uses TCP.
Is port 115 secure?
Port 115 is not encrypted by default. Where possible, use an encrypted alternative or tunnel it over TLS or a VPN.
Should I open port 115 on my firewall?
Only if you specifically need SFTP (legacy). Expose it to the smallest set of trusted sources, and never open database or Windows-service ports to the whole internet.