What is IP Address ? What are the classification and range of a Public IP Address and a Private IP Address?

An IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is a unique identifier given to every machine that connects to the internet. It serves two main functions: identifying the host or network interface, and providing the location of the host in the network.

Public IP addresses are addresses that are assigned to organizations, similar to a phone number. They are unique across the whole web. Private IP addresses, on the other hand, are used within private networks and are not routable on the internet.

Public IP addresses are classified into classes as follows:

1. Class A: Range from 1.0.0.0 to 126.0.0.0
2. Class B: Range from 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.0.0
3. Class C: Range from 192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.0
4. Class D: Range from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 (Reserved for multicast groups)
5. Class E: Range from 240.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.254 (Reserved for future use, or Research and Development Purposes)

Private IP addresses are classified into classes as follows:

1. Class A: Range from 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
2. Class B: Range from 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
3. Class C: Range from 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

These ranges are set aside specifically for private use and can't be accessed directly from the internet.