Checkers indicate that every port is restricted, yet a few may function.
Checkers indicate that every port is restricted, yet a few may function.
You're trying to configure services on your server and checking port availability online. It seems the port you're looking at—OpenVPN port 1194—is showing as closed across multiple services, even though it functions locally. Your router runs PFSense version 2.4.4 with an i5 processor and 8GB DDR3 RAM, and your modem is set to bridged mode. The ISP is Spectrum. You're wondering why the port appears to be down despite working in practice.
OpenVPN uses UDP by default, and most port-checking sites only attempt TCP connections. If other ports seem unavailable, confirm those services (HTTP, HTTPS, etc.) are functional outside your local network. Without a web server running, admin pages from PFSense won’t appear on port-scanning sites since the firewall blocks internet access to those pages.
Beyond services PFSense manages itself, it doesn't directly address port checks. The firewall rules prevent incoming traffic to PFSense from the internet. By setting up a port forward, you redirect those blocked connections to an internal host, which then handles the traffic. If the internal IP or server firewall blocks the connection, the port check will still fail as if no forwarding was done.
It's not only PFSense; the firewall functions in every router operate similarly. The server firewall, when enabled by default on its distribution, works just like this—though most users avoid setting up port forwarding for servers.