Definition: private IP address

An IP address within three ranges of numbers that are set aside for the computers in local networks. Typically assigned to the machines by a DHCP server, these private addresses are not routed over the Internet. In order to gain access to the Internet, the private addresses are converted to a public IP address that is exposed to the Internet by a network address translation (NAT) service. See 192.168.1.1, CIDR, NAT, DHCP and IP address.

 PRIVATE IP ADDRESS RANGES

 From          To               CIDR

 10.0.0.0      10.255.255.255   10/8

 172.16.0.0    172.31.255.255   172.16/12

 192.168.0.0   192.168.255.255  192.168/16


 Self-Assigned Addresses
 See DHCP autoconfiguration addressing.

 169.254.0.0   169.254.255.255