Subnet masks define which part of an IP address represents the network and which represents individual hosts.
CIDR notation
- /24 = 255.255.255.0 (256 addresses, 254 usable).
- /16 = 255.255.0.0 (65,536 addresses).
- /8 = 255.0.0.0 (16,777,216 addresses).
Subnetting benefits
- Efficient IP address allocation.
- Network segmentation for security and performance.
- Isolation of broadcast domains.
- Simplified routing and management.
Calculations
- Network address: IP AND subnet mask.
- Broadcast address: Last IP in the range.
- Usable hosts: Total addresses - 2 (network + broadcast).
Related Articles
View all articlesDNS Infrastructure Compared: Cloudflare DNS vs Route 53 vs Azure DNS vs Google Cloud DNS
A deep technical comparison of managed DNS services from Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, Azure DNS, and Google Cloud DNS — covering architecture, performance, security, pricing, and strategic implications.
Read article →Load Balancing Compared: Cloudflare vs AWS ELB vs Azure Front Door vs Google Cloud Load Balancing
A deep technical comparison of load balancing across Cloudflare, AWS Elastic Load Balancing, Azure Front Door, and Google Cloud Load Balancing — covering global vs regional architectures, health checking, SSL termination, and pricing.
Read article →Cloud Pricing Decoded: How Cloudflare, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Actually Charge You
A deep analysis of cloud pricing philosophies — flat-rate vs metered vs committed-use models, hidden costs (egress, cross-AZ, API calls, support), free tier comparison, and total cost of ownership modeling across Cloudflare, AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Read article →Multi-Cloud, Vendor Lock-in, and Exit Strategies: Cloudflare, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
A strategic analysis of vendor lock-in across Cloudflare, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud — covering portability, open standards, exit costs, multi-cloud architectures, and Cloudflare's unique positioning as a complement to hyperscalers rather than a replacement.
Read article →Explore More Networking
View all termsBGP (Border Gateway Protocol)
The routing protocol that exchanges network reachability information between autonomous systems, forming the backbone of Internet routing.
Read more →DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions)
A suite of specifications that add cryptographic authentication to DNS responses, preventing DNS spoofing and cache poisoning attacks.
Read more →Domain Name System (DNS)
The hierarchical naming system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses.
Read more →IP Address Geolocation
The process of determining the geographic location of an internet-connected device using its IP address.
Read more →MAC Address
A unique hardware identifier assigned to network interfaces for local network communication.
Read more →MX Record
A DNS record type that specifies which mail servers are responsible for receiving email for a domain.
Read more →