The short answer
A subnet is a range of IP addresses that sit next to each other, such as 203.0.113.0 to 203.0.113.255. That range is written as a "/24" and holds 256 addresses.
Why it matters
When a site catches abuse from one IP, it often bans the whole /24 around it, because neighbouring addresses usually belong to the same customer. If your 50 datacenter proxies all live in one /24, one ban can kill all 50.
That is why good providers advertise subnet diversity: your IPs are spread across many different /24 blocks, so one ban only takes out one or two of them.
Also known as
Subnetwork, IP block, IP range, C-class (an old name for a /24).
Learn more
- What do /24 and /64 mean?
- What is an ASN?
- Datacenter proxies
- How big should your proxy pool be?
- IANA number resources
- RFC 1918, private address ranges
- ARIN on IPv4 depletion and transfers
- The regional internet registries
Affiliate disclosure: Team of Monkeys is an affiliate of Geonode, Webshare and Rayobyte. Links and banners marked as sponsored, and links to Geonode, Webshare and Rayobyte in the text, use our referral links, and we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our explanations and comparisons are written to be useful whichever provider you choose.
Editorial note: Proxy providers change their pools, features and prices often, so treat any figures here as typical ranges at the time of writing and confirm current terms with the provider before you buy.
Editorial note: Proxy providers change their pools, features and prices often, so treat any figures here as typical ranges at the time of writing and confirm current terms with the provider before you buy.