A firewall Bonjour is a service that allows computers to automatically discover each other over the Internet. Also, this firewall Bonjour is a protocol that allows computers to automatically identify themselves to other computers on the network.
To have more information about this service, let us tackle it below.
Introducing Firewall Bonjour Service
When the new device is connected to the network, it will try to connect to another device in the network on port 5353 UDP. If the firewall does not have this port open, then it will not be able to communicate with other devices in the network.
So this firewall Bonjour Service can also be used for LANs using a proxy server. The proxy server will register itself on behalf of the device that wants to connect to other devices.
Firewall Service vs Multicast DNS
The Firewall Service is different than Multicast DNS (mDNS) in two ways:
- According to Apple: “Bonjour uses mDNS as it’s a transport mechanism, but uses a different protocol than mDNS.”
- Bonjour service is used in Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS Operating Systems. Multicast DNS is used in Linux operating systems.
How Does Firewall Service Work?
All the requests that are done by this service go to port 5353 UDP. If the firewall is blocking that port, then the device can’t communicate with other devices in the same network.
Do You Need Firewall Service?
If you want to prevent all your network devices from communicating with each other, then you must block this service as well. If you do not want any of your devices to communicate with each other, then you may block this service on all your network devices.
If you do not follow any of these suggestions, then you may experience some problems like:
- The screen saver does not work on your computer after waking it up from sleep mode.
- You cannot print documents from one computer to another computer on the same network.
- Your files cannot be shared between two computers on the same network without any connection issues.
How Important is Firewall Service?
The importance of this service is not very high. However, you should also know more about this service.
So this service is also used by the devices that are connected to the network. It is used to find other devices on the network and to communicate with them.
The devices use this service for different purposes like:
- It helps in finding other devices in the same network.
- It can be used for printer sharing and media streaming.
- It can be used for accessing some websites or resources on the Internet that are blocked by the firewall.
So this service can also be used to send commands to other devices through a captive portal. The captive portal is a website hosted on a computer or router that forces clients who connect to it to complete certain tasks.
Such as viewing advertisements, entering personal information, and paying a fee. Before they are granted access to their desired content or resources on the Internet.
How To Disable Firewall Service?
Now we will show you how you can disable this service on different operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. If you want to prevent your device from communicating with other devices in the same network.
Then you can disable this service on your device. However, if you want to use any of these features then you should not turn off Firewall Service.
It is because it is needed for that purpose.