Port 715 is officially assigned to IRIS-LWZ (Internet Registry Information Service - Lightweight using Compression), a UDP-based protocol that exists in the well-known ports range (0-1023).
What IRIS-LWZ Does
IRIS-LWZ is how registry services answer questions about Internet resources—domain names, IP address allocations, and other registry data. The protocol is defined in RFC 49931 and uses an elegantly simple pattern: a client sends a request in one UDP packet, and the server responds with an answer in one UDP packet.
The "LWZ" stands for "Lightweight using Compression." The protocol can compress response payloads using the DEFLATE algorithm, letting more information fit into a single packet. This is infrastructure optimized for speed—no TCP handshake, no connection overhead, just the question and the answer.
How It Works
Every IRIS-LWZ packet has two parts:
- Binary payload descriptor — metadata about the packet
- Request/response payload — the actual query or answer, optionally compressed
A client asks: "Who owns this domain?" The server responds with the registry information—compressed if needed to fit into one packet. The entire transaction happens in two packets: question and answer.
IRIS-LWZ is designed for serving public data. There are no built-in mechanisms for authentication or encryption—this is information that's meant to be openly queryable. If you need security, you'd use IRIS over a different transport protocol.
The Well-Known Range
Port 715 sits in the well-known ports range (0-1023), which are assigned by IANA for specific, standardized services. These ports are generally restricted on Unix-like systems—only privileged processes can bind to them. This restriction exists because these ports represent official Internet services, and you don't want random applications pretending to be them.
IRIS-LWZ earned this assignment because registry information services are fundamental Internet infrastructure. When you look up who owns a domain or which organization controls an IP block, that information has to come from somewhere authoritative. Port 715 is part of that system.
Why This Port Matters
Most people never think about registry services. But every domain name, every IP address allocation, every autonomous system number—all of that is tracked in registries. IRIS-LWZ is one of the protocols that makes that information queryable.
It's infrastructure that works by being invisible. You don't know your query touched port 715. You just get your answer and move on. That's the point. The protocol is designed to be fast, lightweight, and efficient—because registry queries should feel instantaneous.
The beauty is in the simplicity: one packet out, one packet back. No connection overhead. Just the information you asked for, compressed if needed, arriving in microseconds.
Checking Port 715
To see if anything is listening on port 715 on your system:
You'll rarely find anything listening here unless you're running registry information services. This isn't a port your typical server or desktop uses—it's for specialized infrastructure that most of us never interact with directly.
Security Considerations
IRIS-LWZ provides no built-in authentication or encryption. It's designed for public data—information that anyone should be able to query. If you're running an IRIS-LWZ service, understand that:
- Anyone can send queries to your service
- Responses are sent in plaintext (or compressed plaintext)
- There's no way to verify who's asking or encrypt the answer
This is intentional. Registry information is meant to be publicly accessible. If you need security, IRIS supports other transport protocols beyond LWZ.
Related Ports
- Port 43 — WHOIS, the older text-based protocol for querying domain registration information
- Port 3077 — IRIS over TCP with BEEP, a more feature-rich version of the same concept
IRIS-LWZ on port 715 is the lightweight, UDP-based option. For more complex queries or when you need features like authentication, other IRIS transports exist.
האם דף זה היה מועיל?