It’s nothing but a unique Identity of a Device on a Network
Every device that connects to a network (laptop, phone, server) needs an IP address.
Types of IPs: Public and Private
1️ Public IP
- Assigned by ISP (Internet Service Provider)
- Unique globally
- Can be accessed from anywhere on the internet
- Used by ISPs(Jio, airtel, any cellular companies that provides) to give internet access to your home or office
2 Private IP
- Used inside a local network (home, office, cloud VPC)
- Cannot be accessed directly from the internet
- ISPs assign you a public IP, but inside your network, your devices have private IPs
- Solves the shortage of public IPs
Private IP Ranges (RFC1918)
Range CIDR Notes
0.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255 /8 Large networks
72.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255 /12 Medium networks
92.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255 /16 Small/home networks
Check points
- If your IP falls in one of these ranges → private; otherwise → public
- Public IP → internet sees it
- Private IP → used inside your network, translated by NAT at the router
