When discussing IP addresses, you may have seen the terms “public” and “private” used. These terms can be confusing if you don’t know them, but are important to help you better understand how IP addresses work.
Let’s compare public and private IP addresses to find out how they work together on the modern Internet.
The system’s private IP address is the IP address used to communicate within the same network. Private IP information or data can be sent or received within the same network.
The system’s public IP address is the IP address used to communicate outside the network. The public IP address is basically assigned by the ISP (Internet Service Provider).
Difference between private IP address and public IP address
| IP ADDRESS PRIVATE | IP ADDRESS PUBLIC |
|---|---|
| Local scope | Global scope |
| Used to communicate in the network | Used to communicate outside the network |
| The private IP address of the systems connected in the network will be different, but still follow a uniform rule. | Public IP addresses can be different according to a uniform or heterogeneous rule. |
| Only works in LAN | Used to access Internet services |
| Used to load the network operating system | Controlled by ISP (Internet service provider). |
| Available for free | No free |
| The private IP address can be found by typing “ipconfig” go to Command Prompt | Find the public IP address by typing “what is my ip” go to Google |
|
Limit:
|
Limit: Except for private IP addresses, all the rest are public IP addresses |
|
Example: 192.168.1.10 |
Example: 17.5.7.8 |
How public and private IP addresses work together
To visualize how public and private IP addresses work, imagine a university campus with student mailboxes. If you are on campus and want to send a letter to the owner of mailbox 561, simply write “Box 561” on the envelope and drop it in the mailbox on campus. The staff will send the letter easily to the right recipient.
However, if you live off campus and want to send a letter to the owner of mailbox 561, you can’t just write “Box 561” on the envelope and drop it in the standard external mailbox. The mailman wouldn’t know which building to deliver the mail to, as there were many mailboxes bearing the number 561 in the country.
Instead, you’ll have to mail the letter to the university’s address, plus the “Box 561” address. If you don’t include a mailbox number, the postman won’t know which box should receive the mail. In this case, the field address acts as the public IP address, while the mailbox number is similar to the private IP address.
The private and public IPs that make the Internet work
Understanding how both of these types of IP addresses work helps you understand how the Internet we use every day works. Public IPs allow any local area network to be defined on the Internet at large, while private IPs cut down on IPv4 address usage and allow the router to handle traffic for all home devices.
Both of these IP addresses are important and in most cases they work without much intervention from you. But if you are interested, there is much to learn about home networking technologies.
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