Public vs. Private IP Addresses: What’s the Difference?
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Most people have heard of an IP address, but do you know what it really is? Or that there are two different kinds? There's a public IP address and a private IP address. Here's the difference between them.
A public IP address is an IP address that is used to identify a device on the public internet. It is assigned to a device by an internet service provider (ISP) and is unique globally. Public IP addresses are visible and reachable from anywhere on the internet.
On the other hand, a private IP address is used to identify a device on a private network. Private IP addresses are not visible on the public internet, and they are used to identify devices on a local network such as a home or office network. Private IP addresses are usually assigned by the network administrator and are unique only within the local network.
To sum it up:
Public IP addresses are like the street address of a hotel. It identifies your device globally, letting other devices on the internet find and communicate with you. Private IP addresses are like the room numbers in that hotel. They allow devices inside your home or office network to communicate with each other without needing to go outside to the internet.
You can find your IP address by going to the Command Prompt (on Windows) or the Terminal (on MacOS). Once you have opened the command line interface, type in "ipconfig" (on Windows) or "ifconfig" (on MacOS) and press enter. This will display your IP address. Alternatively, you can also find your IP address by going to a website like whatismyip.com.
If you have questions, reach out!
