---
title: "Discussion on \"Stop Googling It: How to Tell If an IP Address Is Public or Private\" | Hashnode"
description: "Discussion on \"Stop Googling It: How to Tell If an IP Address Is Public or Private\". Can't tell if an IP is public or private? Learn the simple rule and CIDR math behind every reserved IP address range."
url: "https://hashnode.com/posts/public-vs-private-ip-addresses/6a387d429a22490a758ae3d8"
---

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Discussion

# [Stop Googling It: How to Tell If an IP Address Is Public or Private](https://audrey01.hashnode.dev/public-vs-private-ip-addresses?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

Can't tell if an IP is public or private? Learn the simple rule and CIDR math behind every reserved IP address range.

Jun 22 · 7 min read · audrey01.hashnode.dev  
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-   [#ip-address](https://hashnode.com/tag/ip-address)
-   [#networking-for-beginners](https://hashnode.com/tag/networking-for-beginners)
-   [#networking](https://hashnode.com/tag/networking)
-   [#private-ip-address](https://hashnode.com/tag/private-ip-address)
-   [#tcpip](https://hashnode.com/tag/tcpip)
-   [#computer-networking](https://hashnode.com/tag/computer-networking)
-   [#devops](https://hashnode.com/tag/devops)
-   [#beginnersguide](https://hashnode.com/tag/beginnersguide)

## Written by

[Akaeze Kosisochukwu](https://hashnode.com/@Audrey01)

@Audrey01 · Nigeria

  
[View profile](https://hashnode.com/@Audrey01)

Learning to love writing☺️☺️

"Cloud security Engineer ☁️ | Writing about security & cloud topics ✍️ | Let's connect and dive into the exciting world of security and the cloud! ✨"

## Responses 2

Markdown supported · ⌘↵ to post

[Atul Vishwakarma](https://hashnode.com/@vatul16)

[Jun 23](https://hashnode.com/posts/public-vs-private-ip-addresses/6a387d429a22490a758ae3d8/comment/6a3a6e6d614f6789ca026fe8)

This was a very clear explanation of public vs private IPs. It’s one of those topics that looks “basic” on paper, but in real cloud environments it becomes critical for getting networking and security right. I like how you kept the examples simple enough for beginners while still explaining why we use each type of address.

In my own DevOps and cloud work (mostly on AWS with things like VPCs, subnets, ECS Fargate, etc.), this distinction shows up everywhere — from deciding which services need a public endpoint behind a load balancer, to keeping application containers and databases safely isolated on private IPs. Understanding that mental model early makes it much easier later when you start dealing with routing, NAT gateways, and security groups.

Really nice job breaking this down in an approachable way. Posts like this are super helpful for people building their foundations before diving deeper into cloud networking and infrastructure.

[Akaeze Kosisochukwu](https://hashnode.com/@Audrey01)

[Jun 23](https://hashnode.com/posts/public-vs-private-ip-addresses/6a387d429a22490a758ae3d8/comment/6a3a6e6d614f6789ca026fe8#reply-6a3a72948a0c676c8b522853)

Thank you so much! And I’m really glad you found it insightful ☺️