Editing Private network (section)

{{short description|Network using private IP addresses}}

In [[IP network|Internet network]]ing, a '''private network''' is a [[computer network]] that uses a private [[address space]] of [[IP address]]es. These addresses are commonly used for [[local area network]]s (LANs) in residential, office, and enterprise environments. Both the [[IPv4]] and the [[IPv6]] specifications define '''private IP address''' ranges.{{Ref RFC|1918}}{{Ref RFC|4193}}

Most [[Internet service provider]]s (ISPs) allocate only a single publicly [[routable]] IPv4 address to each residential customer, but many homes have more than one [[computer]], [[smartphone]], or other Internet-connected device. In this situation, a [[network address translator]] (NAT/PAT) gateway is usually used to provide Internet connectivity to multiple hosts. Private addresses are also commonly used in [[corporate network]]s which, for security reasons, are not connected directly to the [[Internet]].  Often a [[Proxy server|proxy]], [[SOCKS]] gateway, or similar devices are used to provide restricted Internet access to network-internal users. 

Private network addresses are not allocated to any specific organization. Anyone may use these addresses without approval from [[regional Internet registry|regional or local Internet registries]]. [[Private IP]] address spaces were originally defined to assist in delaying [[IPv4 address exhaustion]]. [[Network packet|IP packet]]s originating from or addressed to a private IP address cannot be routed through the public Internet.

Private addresses are often seen as enhancing [[network security]] for the internal network since use of private addresses internally makes it difficult for an external host to initiate a connection to an internal system.