Floating IP — Overview
Floating IP is a public IP address that you can allocate independently and assign to any Instance inside a VPC. Because the address is not bound to a specific Instance, you can move it from one Instance to another at any time without changing DNS or end-user network configuration.
What is a Floating IP?
When an Instance needs to be accessible from the internet, the system needs to map a public IP address to the Instance's private IP address. Floating IP handles this role through NAT at the VPC gateway.
A Floating IP exists independently of any Instance — you can:
- Allocate: Reserve a public IP address into your VPC.
- Associate: Link a Floating IP to a port (NIC) of an Instance.
- Disassociate: Detach a Floating IP from an Instance without losing the IP address.
- Release: Return the IP address to the system pool when it is no longer needed.
Which VPC types support this feature?
Floating IP can be used with both VPC types:
| VPC Type | Floating IP Support |
|---|---|
| General VPC | Yes |
| Specific VPC | Yes |
How to navigate to the Floating IP page
From the VPC management interface:
- Select the VPC you want to manage.
- In the left navigation menu, select Network.
- Select Floating IP.
The Floating IP list page appears, showing all IP addresses allocated in that VPC.
Main operations
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Allocate IP address | Reserve a new public IP into the VPC |
| Associate with Instance | Link the IP to a port of an Instance so the Instance is reachable from the internet |
| Disassociate from Instance | Detach the IP from an Instance; the IP remains and enters "Down" status |
| Release | Remove the IP from the VPC and return it to the system pool |