Port 1388 belongs to the registered ports range (1024-49151), where organizations can officially claim port numbers for their services through IANA. This port was registered as "objective-dbc" for Objective Solutions DataBase Cache—part of ObjectStore, an object-oriented database system.12
What ObjectStore Was
ObjectStore was an object-oriented database management system originally developed by Object Design, Inc., later acquired by Progress Software. The database allowed applications to store and retrieve complex objects directly, rather than translating them into relational tables. Port 1388 was used for cache communication between ObjectStore clients and the Cache Manager, particularly for handling database notifications.3
The system saw use primarily in the 1990s and early 2000s in specialized applications requiring complex data models—telecommunications, financial trading systems, and engineering applications. But object-oriented databases never displaced relational databases, and ObjectStore gradually became legacy software.
The Reality of Registered Ports
Port 1388 illustrates a fundamental truth about the registered ports range: official registration doesn't mean widespread use. IANA maintains over 40,000 registered port assignments, most for software that:
- Never achieved significant market adoption
- Served niche industries or specific enterprises
- Has been discontinued or superseded
- Exists in legacy systems maintained but not expanded
The registration persists even when the software fades. Port 1388 remains officially assigned to objective-dbc, but most networks will never encounter ObjectStore traffic.
What You'll Actually Find on Port 1388
On most systems, port 1388 is closed. Nothing listens there. The port sits unused unless:
- You're maintaining a legacy ObjectStore installation (rare)
- An administrator manually configured something to use this port
- Malware randomly selected it (uncommon but possible)
To check what's actually using port 1388 on your system:
Linux/macOS:
Windows:
If you see something listening on port 1388 and you're not running ObjectStore, investigate. It might be legitimate software configured to use this port, or it might be worth checking.
Why Unassigned and Obscure Ports Matter
The registered ports range exists to prevent conflicts. When a company registers a port, they're saying "we're using this number—please don't." This works when software achieves widespread deployment. Everyone knows not to use port 3306 because that's MySQL. Everyone avoids port 5432 because that's PostgreSQL.
But what about port 1388? Or port 2749? Or port 8416? Thousands of registered ports belong to software most administrators have never heard of. These registrations create a gap between theory and practice:
- In theory: Port 1388 is reserved for objective-dbc and shouldn't be used for other purposes
- In practice: Most networks can safely use port 1388 for internal services because ObjectStore isn't present
This doesn't mean you should ignore registered ports. It means understanding that registration indicates intent, not ubiquity. Check IANA's registry before picking a port for your application, but recognize that many registered ports are effectively available in most environments.
The Port Number Space
Port 1388 sits in the middle of a spectrum:
- Well-known ports (0-1023): Require root privileges, reserved for core Internet services
- Registered ports (1024-49151): Officially assigned to specific applications through IANA
- Dynamic/ephemeral ports (49152-65535): Available for temporary connections
The registered range represents an attempt to bring order to the vast space between privileged system ports and temporary connections. Some registrations matter deeply (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB). Others persist as historical artifacts, nameplates on services that never quite arrived.
Port 1388 is the latter. Officially claimed. Rarely used. A reminder that registration is easy, but deployment is hard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nakatulong ba ang pahinang ito?