Port 9312Sphinx Search API

Sphinx searchd’s binary API for querying full-text indexes, normally listening on TCP port 9312.

transport: tcp
in transit: cleartext
assignment: official
risk: 7/10
lookups: 0

also known as sphinxapi, searchd

1 other service is registered on port 9312. compare all 2 →

Technical Details

what runs on :9312

Sphinx searchd normally listens on TCP 9312 for its native binary API (sphinx). Clients send length-framed commands, including search requests, and receive binary responses; the protocol is not encrypted by default. This is distinct from the commonly used MySQL-compatible SphinxQL listener on TCP 9306. Manticore Search, the Sphinx-derived successor, also supports the Sphinx API.

Security Information

exposure of :9312

risk score

7/ 10risk

treat as sensitive. widely scanned and regularly exploited when reachable — restrict it to known sources.

databases averages 3.8 across 164 ports — this one sits 3.2 above.

in transit

cleartext

credentials and payloads are readable by anyone on path

assignment

official

registered with iana for this service — scanners fingerprint it by number

reachable over

tcp

every listening transport is another surface to filter at the edge

security overview

The API is not encrypted by default and typically has no built-in client authentication, so an exposed listener can allow remote clients to query indexed data and consume search resources. Restrict it to trusted application hosts or protect it with network controls or a secure tunnel; do not assume that an open port is safe because the index is not a conventional database.

Record

iana registry entry

port: :9312
service: Sphinx Search API
transport: TCP
encryption: cleartext
assignment: iana registered
risk: 7/10risk
category: Databases
usage: This is the default Sphinx Search API listener used by applications and client libraries to send search requests to `searchd`. Engineers may also encounter it on Manticore Search, a Sphinx-derived search server; the SQL-compatible listener is commonly on port 9306 instead.
lookups: 0rank 993
added: 2026-10-15
updated: 2026-10-15
references: IANA service name registry — port 9312

Something wrong?

This record is maintained by the engineers who use port 9312. Every field on it is editable — change what's wrong, say how you know, and a reviewer publishes it, usually within a minute. Last touched 2026-10-15.

01edit any field on a page of its own
02a model checks it for accuracy and spam
03clean and confident goes live immediately

edit this record →back to the registry

Related Ports

all 164 in databases →

the 8 most looked-up other ports in databases — 164 ports carry that label.

port	service	proto	category	risk	views
:8882	Atlasz Secure App Server	TCP	Web Services	caution	66.9k
:9001	ETL Service Manager	TCPUDP	Databases	caution	28.6k
:2484	Oracle SSL Listener	TCPUDPtls	Security	caution	25.0k
:5495	Applix TM1 Admin	TCP	Databases	caution	24.8k
:591	FileMaker Web Sharing	TCP	Web Services	caution	23.1k
:1521	Oracle TNS Listener	TCP	Security	caution	19.6k
:21001	AMLFilter Admin	TCP	Security	caution	19.2k
:18206	Audition FAM DB	TCPUDP	Databases	caution	19.1k

risk mix of the 8 listed

caution100%

1 of 8 encrypted

Port :9312Sphinx Search API

Technical Details

Security Information

Related Ports

Port 9312Sphinx Search API