{"id":1243,"date":"2025-07-30T13:31:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T13:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/?p=1243"},"modified":"2025-07-30T13:31:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T13:31:22","slug":"understanding-ip-addressing-cidr-subnet-masks-network-and-host-calculation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/networking-fundamentals\/understanding-ip-addressing-cidr-subnet-masks-network-and-host-calculation","title":{"rendered":"Understanding IP Addressing \u2013 CIDR, Subnet Masks, Network and Host Calculation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Understanding IP Addressing \u2013 Network and Host, CIDR, and Address Calculations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we look at an IP address like 192.168.1.20, it just looks like a bunch of numbers. But the truth is, that address is made up of two parts: one part tells us which network it belongs to, and the other part tells us which device (or host) it is within that network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tricky thing is \u2013 you can\u2019t tell which part is which just by looking at the IP. You also need something called a subnet mask<\/strong> or CIDR value<\/strong> to make sense of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Network Part and Host Part<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An IP address is a 32-bit number. Some bits are used to identify the network<\/strong>, and the remaining bits are used to identify the host<\/strong> inside that network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • IP: 192.168.1.20<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Mask: 255.255.255.0 (or \/24 in CIDR)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    In this case, the first 24 bits are in network part and the last 8 bits are in host part, so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • The network part<\/strong> is 192.168.1<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The host part<\/strong> is 20<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      (This IP belongs to the network 192.168.1.0, and the device number is 20 within that network.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      CIDR Value and Mask \u2013 How They Work
      <\/strong>Both CIDR Value and mask tell us how many bits are reserved for identifying the network part<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • You might have seen IP addresses written like 192.168.1.1\/24 \u2013 here, \/24<\/strong> means that the first 24 bits are used for the network part. This way of showing how many bits are in the network portion is called CIDR notation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • The mask 255.255.255.0 is just another way of saying that 24 bits are in the network part. In this format, to understand how many bits are used for the network, you need to convert the mask to binary and count the number of 1s. For example, 255.255.255.0 in binary is 11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000 \u2013 if you count the number of 1s, there are 24. That means 24 bits are used for the network part.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        How to Convert CIDR to Subnet Mask<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        CIDR notation (like \/24) tells us how many bits are used for the network part<\/strong>. The rest is for the host part<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Each IP address has 32 bits, divided into 4 blocks of 8 bits (called octets).<\/p>\n\n\n\n


        To convert a CIDR value to a subnet mask, you start by writing that many 1s from the left (based on the CIDR number), then fill the remaining bits with 0s to complete 32 bits. Group them into 8-bit blocks to get the 4 octets of the mask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Let\u2019s look at some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • \/24 \u2192 24 bits for network
          So the first 3 octets are full 1s:
          11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000
          \u2192 Mask: 255.255.255.0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • \/26 \u2192 26 bits for network
          That\u2019s 3 full octets and 2 extra bits in the 4th octet:
          11111111.11111111.11111111.11000000
          \u2192 Mask: 255.255.255.192<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • \/30 \u2192 30 bits for network
          3 full octets and 6 bits in the last one:
          11111111.11111111.11111111.11111100
          \u2192 Mask: 255.255.255.252<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          You don\u2019t have to memorize the binary, just remember:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • Each 8 bits of 1s<\/strong> = 255<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • 7 bits = 254, 6 bits = 252, 5 bits = 248, 4 bits = 240, and so on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n\n\n\n
            CIDR Value<\/th>Subnet Mask<\/th>Number of IPs in Network<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
            \/30<\/td>255.255.255.252<\/td>4<\/td><\/tr>
            \/29<\/td>255.255.255.248<\/td>8<\/td><\/tr>
            \/28<\/td>255.255.255.240<\/td>16<\/td><\/tr>
            \/27<\/td>255.255.255.224<\/td>32<\/td><\/tr>
            \/26<\/td>255.255.255.192<\/td>64<\/td><\/tr>
            \/25<\/td>255.255.255.128<\/td>128<\/td><\/tr>
            \/24<\/td>255.255.255.0<\/td>256<\/td><\/tr>
            \/23<\/td>255.255.254.0<\/td>512<\/td><\/tr>
            \/22<\/td>255.255.252.0<\/td>1024<\/td><\/tr>
            \/21<\/td>255.255.248.0<\/td>2048<\/td><\/tr>
            \/20<\/td>255.255.240.0<\/td>4096<\/td><\/tr>
            \/19<\/td>255.255.224.0<\/td>8192<\/td><\/tr>
            \/18<\/td>255.255.192.0<\/td>16384<\/td><\/tr>
            \/17<\/td>255.255.128.0<\/td>32768<\/td><\/tr>
            \/16<\/td>255.255.0.0<\/td>65536<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
            \n\n\n\n

            Why CIDR or Mask is Important<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            You can\u2019t tell if two IPs are in the same network just by comparing the first few numbers. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • IP1: 10.1.1.5<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • IP2: 10.1.1.200<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Are these two in the same network?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • If the mask is \/24 (i.e., 255.255.255.0), then yes<\/strong>, both are in the network : 10.1.1.0\/24<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • But if the mask is \/25 (i.e., 255.255.255.128), then:\n
                  \n
                • 10.1.1.5 is in the network: \u00a010.1.1.0\/25<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • 10.1.1.200 is in the network: 10.1.1.128\/25<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • So, they\u2019re in different networks if the mask is 25 and they\u2019re in same network if mask is 24.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  That\u2019s why the CIDR value or mask<\/strong> is essential for understanding IP addressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n\n\n\n

                  How to Check if Two IPs Are in the Same Network<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  If you\u2019re given two IP addresses and a subnet mask or CIDR value, here\u2019s how to check whether they belong to the same network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  1. Convert each IP address to binary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. Convert the subnet mask (or CIDR) to binary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  3. Do a bitwise AND between the IP and the mask. This gives you the network address.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  4. If the network address of both IPs is the same, they are in the same network.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \n
                    • IP1: 192.168.1.10<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • IP2: 192.168.1.100<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Mask: \/24 \u2192 255.255.255.0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                      Binary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        \n
                      • IP1 \u2192 11000000.10101000.00000001.00001010<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • IP2 \u2192 11000000.10101000.00000001.01100100<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Mask \u2192 11111111.11111111.11111111.00000000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                        Now apply bitwise AND:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \n
                        • IP1 AND Mask \u2192 11000000.10101000.00000001.00000000 \u2192 192.168.1.0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • IP2 AND Mask \u2192 11000000.10101000.00000001.00000000 \u2192 192.168.1.0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                          Result: Both IPs are part of the 192.168.1.0\/24 network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          If their results were different, they\u2019d be in different networks.

                          A Quicker Way to Check \u2013 Compare Network Part Bits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          The previous method is the proper and accurate way to check if two IPs are on the same network \u2013 apply the mask and compare the network addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          But here\u2019s a quicker way that gives the same result:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            \n
                          • Convert both IPs to binary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Check only the first n<\/em> bits, where n<\/em> is the number of bits in the network part (CIDR value).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • If these n<\/em> bits are the same in both IPs \u2192 they are in the same network.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • If they differ \u2192 they\u2019re in different networks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                            Example using \/24:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              \n
                            • IP1: 192.168.1.10 \u2192 11000000.10101000.00000001<\/strong>.00001010<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • IP2: 192.168.1.100 \u2192 11000000.10101000.00000001<\/strong>.01100100<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                              For \/24, look at the first 24 bits. In both cases, the first 24 bits are the same, so they\u2019re in the same network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              This is a handy mental trick when you get familiar with binary notation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              \n\n\n\n

                              Network Address, Host Address, and Broadcast Address<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              In any IP network, you\u2019ll always have three types of addresses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                \n
                              • Network address<\/strong> \u2013 Identifies the network itself. It\u2019s the first address in the range and cannot be assigned to any device.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • Broadcast address<\/strong> \u2013 The last address in the range. It\u2019s used to send data to all hosts in that network.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • Host addresses<\/strong> \u2013 All the IPs in between. These are assignable to devices like PCs, routers, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                How to Find the Network Address<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                To find the network address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  \n
                                1. Convert the given IP address to binary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                2. Identify the host part<\/strong> based on the subnet mask or CIDR.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                3. Change all the bits in the host part to 0.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                4. Convert the binary back to decimal \u2013 that\u2019s your network address.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                  Example 1:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  IP:<\/strong> 192.168.1.10
                                  CIDR:<\/strong> \/24 \u2192 means first 24 bits are network part
                                  Binary of IP:<\/strong>
                                  11000000.10101000.00000001.00001010<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  Now, set all the last 8 bits (host part) to 0:
                                  11000000.10101000.00000001.00000000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  Convert back to decimal:
                                  Network Address = 192.168.1.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  How to Find the Broadcast Address<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  To find the broadcast address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    \n
                                  1. Convert the IP to binary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  2. Set all the bits in the host part to 1.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  3. Convert back to decimal \u2013 that\u2019s your broadcast address.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                                    Using the same example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    Set the last 8 bits to 1:
                                    11000000.10101000.00000001.11111111<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    Convert to decimal:
                                    Broadcast Address = 192.168.1.255<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    \n\n\n\n

                                    Example 2:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    IP:<\/strong> 10.0.8.45
                                    CIDR:<\/strong> \/22 \u2192 first 22 bits are network, remaining 10 are host
                                    Binary of IP:<\/strong>
                                    00001010.00000000.00001000.00101101<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    Network part (first 22 bits):<\/strong>
                                    00001010.00000000.000010
                                    Host part (last 10 bits):<\/strong>
                                    0000101101<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    Set host part to 0:
                                    00001010.00000000.00001000.00000000 \u2192 Network Address = 10.0.8.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    Set host part to 1:
                                    00001010.00000000.00001011.11111111 \u2192 Broadcast Address = 10.0.11.255<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    \n\n\n\n

                                    How Many IPs in a Network?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    The formula to calculate the number of usable IPs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    Usable IPs = 2^n \u2013 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    Where n = number of bits in the host part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      \n
                                    • \/24 \u2192 32 \u2013 24 = 8 bits for host \u2192 2^8 = 256 \u2192 256 \u2013 2 = 254 usable IPs<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • \/30 \u2192 2 bits for host \u2192 2^2 = 4 \u2192 4 \u2013 2 = 2 usable IPs<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                      The subtraction of 2 is because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        \n
                                      • One IP is reserved for the network address<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • One IP is reserved for the broadcast address<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                        \n\n\n\n

                                        Practice Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        Question 1.<\/strong>
                                        IP Address: 192.168.10.34, CIDR: \/24
                                        What is the network address<\/strong> and the broadcast address<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        Show Answer<\/summary>\n

                                        CIDR \/24 means the last octet is for host.
                                        Broadcast address = 192.168.10.255
                                        Network address = 192.168.10.0<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

                                        Question 2.<\/strong>
                                        IP Address: 172.16.5.200, CIDR: \/20<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                          \n
                                        1. How many usable IPs<\/strong> are available in this network?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                        2. What is the network address<\/strong>?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                                          Show Answer<\/summary>\n

                                          \/20 leaves 12 bits for host \u2192 2^12 = 4096 IPs
                                          \u2192 Usable = 4096 \u2013 2 = 4094
                                          Network address = 172.16.0.0<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

                                          Question 3.<\/strong>
                                          You need to create a subnet that supports at least 60 devices<\/strong>.
                                          What CIDR<\/strong> should you use, and what will be the subnet mask<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                          Show Answer<\/summary>\n

                                          You need at least 60 usable IPs \u2192 2^6 = 64
                                          Subnet mask = 255.255.255.192
                                          CIDR = \/26<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

                                          Question 4.<\/strong>
                                          Given subnet mask: \/25
                                          You have the following IPs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                            \n
                                          • 192.168.1.65<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          • 192.168.1.80<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          • 192.168.1.129
                                            Which of these IPs are in the same subnet<\/strong>?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                            Show Answer<\/summary>\n

                                            \/25 means ranges:
                                            192.168.1.0 \u2013 192.168.1.127
                                            192.168.1.128 \u2013 192.168.1.255
                                            So, 65 and 80 are in the same subnet
                                            129 is in a different one<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

                                            Question 5.<\/strong>
                                            CIDR: \/29<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                              \n
                                            1. How many usable IP addresses<\/strong> are there in this network?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                            2. What is the subnet mask<\/strong>?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                                              Show Answer<\/summary>\n

                                              \/29 \u2192 3 bits for host
                                              Total = 2^3 = 8
                                              Usable = 6
                                              Subnet mask = 255.255.255.248<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

                                              Question 6.<\/strong>
                                              IP Address: 10.0.16.25, CIDR: \/20
                                              What is the broadcast address<\/strong> of this network?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                              Show Answer<\/summary>\n

                                              \/20 leaves 12 bits for host
                                              Binary of 10.0.16.25 = 00001010.00000000.00010000.00011001
                                              Set host bits to 1 \u2192 00001010.00000000.00011111.11111111
                                              \u2192 Broadcast address = 10.0.31.255<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

                                              \n\n\n\n

                                              <\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                              Understanding IP Addressing \u2013 Network and Host, CIDR, and Address Calculations When we look at an IP address like 192.168.1.20, it just looks like a bunch of numbers. But the truth is, that address is made up of two parts: one part tells us which network it belongs to, and the other part tells us […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"wp-custom-template-post-with-sidebar2","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[330],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-networking-fundamentals"],"yoast_head":"\nUnderstanding IP Addressing \u2013 CIDR, Subnet Masks, Network and Host Calculation - Tutorials<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how IP addresses are divided into network and host parts using subnet masks and CIDR notation. 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These terms often come up when learning how data moves through a network, especially when understanding how devices identify each other, how applications communicate, and how data is structured at each layer. 1. MAC Address \u2013\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Networking Fundamentals"","block_context":{"text":"Networking Fundamentals","link":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/category\/networking-fundamentals"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1291,"url":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/networking-fundamentals\/understanding-dhcp-how-dynamic-ip-allocation-works","url_meta":{"origin":1243,"position":5},"title":"Understanding DHCP – How Dynamic IP Allocation Works","author":"sajith achipra","date":"August 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Understanding DHCP \u2013 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol When a host gets connected to a network, it needs some basic configurations like IP address, subnet mask, gateway IP, DNS server\u2019s IP and so on. These can be given manually, but it will be difficult to do this every time, especially when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Networking Fundamentals"","block_context":{"text":"Networking Fundamentals","link":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/category\/networking-fundamentals"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DHCP-DORA-Process.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DHCP-DORA-Process.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DHCP-DORA-Process.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DHCP-DORA-Process.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DHCP-DORA-Process.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1243"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1250,"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243\/revisions\/1250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zframez.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}