Internet Protocol (IP) addresses areusually of two types: Public and Private. If you have ever wondered to knowwhat is the difference between a public and a private IP address,then you are at the right place. In this post I will try to explain the difference between a public anda private IP addresin layman’s terms so that it becomes simple and easy to understand.
YOUR PUBLIC IP IS
What are Public IP Address?
A public IP address is assigned toevery computer that connects to the Internet where eachIPis unique.Hence there cannot exist two computers with the same public IP address all over the Internet. Thisaddressing scheme makes it possible for thecomputers to “find each other” online and exchange information. User has no control over the IP address (public) that is assigned to the computer. The publicIP address is assigned to the computerby the Internet Service Provider as soon as the computer is connected to the Internet gateway. A public IP address can be either static or dynamic. A static public IP address does not change and is used primarily for hosting webpages or services on the Internet.On the other handa dynamic public IP address is chosen from a pool of available addresses and changes each time one connects to the Internet. Most Internet users will only have a dynamic IP assigned to their computer which goes off when the computer is disconnected from the Internet. Thus when it is re-connected it gets a new IP. You can check your publicIP address by visiting www.whatismyip.comWhat are Private IP Address?
An IP address is considered private if the IP number falls within one of the IP address ranges reserved for private networks such as a Local Area Network (LAN). The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved the following three blocks of the IP address space for privatenetworks (local networks):172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255 (Total Addresses: 1,048,576)
192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255 (Total Addresses: 65,536)
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