Access Ports

These switch ports belong to carry the traffic of only one VLAN. By default, it will carry the traffic of native VLAN (VLAN 1) . If the switch ports are assigned as access ports then they can be considered as the switch ports belongs to a single broadcast domain. Any traffic arriving on these switch ports is considered as it belongs to the VLAN assigned to the port. 
Example: 

Here is a simple topology in which 2 switches are connected and only the default VLAN (VLAN 1)is configured on both switches i.e all the switch ports of both switches belong to a single broadcast domain. 

Now, note that the link between the switches has to be configured as an access port because only a single VLAN (VLAN 1) data has to be exchanged. Now after assigning an IP address to PC1-192.168.1.1/24, PC2-192.168.1.2/24, PC3-192.168.1.3/24, PC3-192.168.1.4/24, the user shall configure the link between the 2 switches as an access port. 

Switch1(config)#interface fa0/0
Switch1(config-if)#switchport mode access

Here, there is no need to assign VLAN to the ports as all the switch ports on both switches are configured as VLAN 1 by default.

Advantages:

• Access ports are used to connect end devices, such as PCs, printers, and servers, to the switch. These ports are simple to configure and provide a direct connection to the network.
   
• Access ports are typically configured to carry traffic for a single VLAN, which provides a layer of security by segregating traffic between different VLANs.
   
• Access ports are less complex than trunk ports, which makes them easier to configure and troubleshoot.
   

Disadvantages:

• Access ports can only carry traffic for a single VLAN, which can limit network flexibility and scalability. If a device needs to communicate with devices on another VLAN, it must go through a router or Layer 3 switch.
   
• Access ports are susceptible to VLAN hopping attacks, where an attacker can gain access to another VLAN by exploiting weaknesses in the network.

Switch ports are Layer 2 interfaces that are used to carry layer 2 traffic. A single switch port can carry single VLAN traffic. Frames are handled differently according to the type of link they are traversing. 

Note: All switch ports are assigned VLAN 1 by default (VLAN 1 cannot be modified or deleted). 

There are 2 different types of ports in a switched environment: