IP (Internet Protocol) addresses are unique numerical labels assigned to devices connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses are used to identify and locate devices on a network and to route data between devices. There are two types of IP addresses: public and private.

Private IP Address:
A private IP address is an IP address that is assigned to a device on a private network and is not directly accessible from the Internet. These addresses are used on local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) and are typically assigned to devices by a network administrator using a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server.

Private IP addresses are used to avoid address conflicts and to conserve IP addresses. Since the IP addresses used on a private network are not directly accessible from the Internet, they can be reused on different networks without causing conflicts.

Difference between Public IP and Private IP:

A public IP address is an IP address that is assigned to a device by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and is directly accessible from the Internet. These addresses are used to identify devices on the Internet and to route data between devices on the Internet.

On the other hand, a private IP address is an IP address that is assigned to a device on a private network and is not directly accessible from the Internet. These addresses are used on local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs) to identify and locate devices on the network and to route data between devices.

Public IP addresses are unique and are assigned to a single device, whereas private IP addresses can be shared among multiple devices on a network. Public IP addresses must be unique across the entire Internet, whereas private IP addresses can be reused on different networks without causing conflicts.

Private IP address ranges:
There are three private IP address ranges that are reserved for use on private networks:

10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255
This IP address range is reserved for use on Class A private networks. It allows for the use of up to 16,777,214 host addresses.

172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255
This IP address range is reserved for use on Class B private networks. It allows for the use of up to 1,048,574 host addresses.

192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255
This IP address range is reserved for use on Class C private networks. It allows for the use of up to 65,534 host addresses.

It's worth mentioning that these IP address ranges are not routed on the public internet. Network Address Translation (NAT) is used to map private IP addresses to a public IP addresses. So that the devices on the private network can communicate with the internet.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, private IP addresses are used to identify and locate devices on a private network and to route data between devices on the network. They are not directly accessible from the internet. The IP address ranges 10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255,172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255, and 192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255 are reserved for use on private networks. It allows for the use of a large number of host addresses and eliminates the risk of address conflicts. Understanding the difference between public and private IP addresses and the private IP address ranges can help network administrators properly configure and manage their networks.