CIDR reference · IPv4

The /32 CIDR block

One address. Written as /32 to mean a single host in routes and firewall rules.

/32 · 255.255.255.255 Open in the calculator

A single address. /32 is how you write one host in a route, a firewall rule or an allowlist (203.0.113.7/32). Loopback and anycast service addresses are also announced as /32s.

Key numbers

Prefix length/32 (32 network bits, 0 host bits)
Subnet mask255.255.255.255
Mask in binary11111111.11111111.11111111.11111111
Wildcard mask0.0.0.0
Total addresses1
Usable hosts1 (single host)
Fits in a /24256 times
Block sizeIncrements of 1 in octet 4

Example ranges

Private (RFC 1918) blocks of this size. Click one to open it in the calculator.

BlockFirst addressLast addressUsable hosts
10.0.0.0/3210.0.0.010.0.0.010.0.0.0 – 10.0.0.0
172.16.0.0/32172.16.0.0172.16.0.0172.16.0.0 – 172.16.0.0
192.168.0.0/32192.168.0.0192.168.0.0192.168.0.0 – 192.168.0.0

Usable addresses in the cloud

Cloud providers reserve a few addresses in every subnet for the router, DNS and future use, so the usable count is lower than the formula gives.

ProviderUsable in a /32Notes
AWS VPC subnetn/aNot allowed: AWS subnets must be between /16 and /28.
Azure virtual network subnetn/aNot allowed: /29 is the smallest Azure subnet.
Google Cloud subnetn/aNot allowed: /29 is the smallest primary range.

How the numbers are derived

An IPv4 address has 32 bits. A /32 uses 32 of them for the network, leaving 0 host bits, so the block has 20 = 1 addresses. The subnet mask is 32 ones followed by 0 zeros, written in dotted decimal as 255.255.255.255; the wildcard mask 0.0.0.0 is its inverse, used in Cisco ACLs and OSPF configuration.

FAQ

How many hosts can a /32 have?

One. A /32 identifies a single address.

How many /32 subnets fit in a /24?

256. A /24 has 256 addresses and a /32 has 1, so 256 ÷ 1 = 256 blocks.