What’s the difference between “connection timed out” and “refused”?

Connection timeout and connection refused indicate different failures:

Connection timed out:

No response received within time limit. Server may be unreachable, overloaded, or non-existent. Firewall may be silently dropping packets. Network routing issues possible.

Connection refused:

Server actively rejected the connection. Received RST packet or ICMP unreachable. Server is reachable but not accepting connections. Port may be closed or service down.

Diagnostic difference:

Timeout: Something blocked or lost the connection. Refused: Server explicitly said "no."

Handling implications:

Both typically temporary. Timeout may indicate network or firewall issues. Refused may indicate server misconfiguration. Both warrant retry.

Timeout is silence; refused is a slammed door. Both prevent entry, but for different reasons.