What is the difference between a public IP and a private IP?

A private IP address is used for communication within the same network. Private IPs allow devices to send and receive information internally without being directly accessible from the internet.

A public IP address is used for communication outside the network. It is assigned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and allows devices to connect to the internet.

Private IP Address

  • Scope: Local
  • Used for internal network communication
  • Assigned uniformly within a network
  • Works only in LAN (Local Area Network)
  • Free of charge
  • Can be found by entering "ipconfig" in the command prompt

Private IP Ranges:

  • 10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255
  • 172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255
  • 192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255

Example: 192.168.1.10

Public IP Address

  • Scope: Global
  • Used for communication outside the network
  • May be assigned uniformly or non-uniformly
  • Required for internet access
  • Not free, assigned by the ISP
  • Can be found by searching "What is my IP" on Google

Public IP Range:

  • Any IP address that is not in the private IP ranges

Example: 17.5.7.8

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