Allowed IPs

“Allowed IPs” refers to a list of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or ranges of addresses that are permitted to access a particular network or service. These IP addresses act like unique identifiers for devices on a network, similar to a mailing address for a house. By specifying allowed IPs, network administrators can control and restrict who can connect to their networks, enhancing security and ensuring only trusted devices gain access.

When setting up allowed IPs, you can either allow specific single IP addresses (like 192.168.1.1) or ranges of addresses (like 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.255). This ensures that only devices from these addresses can interact with a service, mitigating unauthorized access risks.

For example, if you run a company’s internal server and only want employees to access it, you would list the IP addresses of the employees' devices in the allowed IPs configuration. Any device not on this list will be blocked from connecting.

Allowed IPs are commonly used in various networking scenarios such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), firewalls, and cloud services:

In essence, allowed IPs serve as a key element in network security strategies, providing a straightforward yet effective way to manage and control access to sensitive data and resources. Properly implementing allowed IPs can significantly minimize the risk of unauthorized access and help maintain the overall integrity of a network.