Private vs Public IP address

A private IP address is a non-routable address that is used for internal networking purposes. Private IP addresses are reserved for use on local networks and are not intended to be reachable over the Internet. Some examples of private IP addresses include:

  • 10.0.0.0/8 (e.g., 10.0.0.1, 10.0.1.1)

  • 172.16.0.0/12 (e.g., 172.16.0.1, 172.16.1.1)

  • 192.168.0.0/16 (e.g., 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1)

Private IP addresses are used to identify devices on a local network, such as a home or office network. They are typically assigned by a router or other networking device, and each device on the network is assigned a unique private IP address.

A public IP address, on the other hand, is a globally unique address that is assigned to a device by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Public IP addresses are used to identify devices on the Internet, and they are reachable from any device connected to the Internet.

Every device that connects to the Internet is assigned a unique public IP address, which is used to identify the device and route traffic to it. Public IP addresses are typically assigned dynamically, meaning that they can change over time.

In summary, private IP addresses are used for internal networking purposes, while public IP addresses are used to identify devices on the Internet. Private IP addresses are not reachable from the Internet, while public IP addresses are.

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