The difference between public and private IP addresses comes down to who can see them and how they're used.

The difference between public and private IP addresses comes down to who can see them and how they're used.

• Private IP addresses (like 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or 172.16.x.x) are used inside your home or office network. Devices like your phone, laptop, or printer get these from your router.
• Public IP addresses are assigned by your internet provider and are used to communicate on the internet. Websites, servers, and online services use public IPs to identify users.

💡 You can’t access a private IP address from outside your network without special configuration (like port forwarding or VPN).

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📌 Quick Comparison:

FeaturePrivate IPPublic IPVisibility | Local network only | Internet-visible
Set by | Your router (via DHCP) | Your internet provider (ISP)
Examples | 192.168.0.1, 10.0.0.5 | 104.26.10.78, etc.
Use Case | Device communication locally | Connecting to websites
Can be duplicated? | Yes, across different networks | No, must be unique globally

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