<p>Each of your Cardano nodes needs a static IP address to communicate between each other. You can use IP or domain names.</p>
<p><strong>Block Producer (BP) node</strong></p>
<p>For better security, you can choose to set a private IP to your BP node to communicate with your relays (on the same private network) since your BP is hosting sensitive data you don't really want to expose.</p>
<p><strong>Relay nodes</strong></p>
<p>However, it is necessary that the relay nodes have a public IP address as the other external relay servers will need to establish incoming TCP/IP connections with yours to exchange and update informations.</p>
<p>You can set 1 public IP address for each one of your relays but you can also use a single public IP address and port-forward to share with your relays.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-15T12:48:24.787Z
Hi @Bao, thank you for the feedback. I guess I was wondering why I would ever use the BP's public IP if I didn't need to, and I don't really see a need to.
Louis Waweru
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-15T12:56:18.810Z
As long as your BP can communicate with your relays, it is not required to have a public IP address on your BP. But your relays will need at least 1 public IP to receive incoming TCP/IP connections.
baocontact
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-15T12:56:49.587Z
Great that’s all I need to hear, thank you
Louis Waweru
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-15T12:44:45.087Z
2021-09-15T13:18:08.123Z
2021-09-15T13:18:08.123Z
baocontact
<p>I dont know how you manage your nodes :)
but for security reasons, i would recommend to use another node, which will be the &quot;Jump-Server&quot;.</p>
<p>this Jump-Server has a public_IP, which will be used for you to connect with ssh, and only this system will have access to connect with ssh to the rest of your nodes (BP and Relays)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-03T08:45:36.093Z
2022-05-03T08:45:36.093Z
TTS17
<p>My BP and relays are on the same local subnet, I would prefer to give them the private IP address in the topology files.</p>
<p>However, all of the guides I've come across explicitly state using public IPs. Is there a problem with using private IPs in the topology files to connect my BP node and my relay nodes?</p>

<stake-pool><security><network><topology>
Can I avoid using a public IP on Block-Producer (BP) node?
# Can I avoid using a public IP on Block-Producer (BP) node?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-09-15)

My BP and relays are on the same local subnet, I would prefer to give them the private IP address in the topology files.

However, all of the guides I've come across explicitly state using public IPs. Is there a problem with using private IPs in the topology files to connect my BP node and my relay nodes?

**Tags:** stake-pool, security, network, topology

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-09-15. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Each of your Cardano nodes needs a static IP address to communicate between each other. You can use IP or domain names.

**Block Producer (BP) node**

For better security, you can choose to set a private IP to your BP node to communicate with your relays (on the same private network) since your BP is hosting sensitive data you don't really want to expose.

**Relay nodes**

However, it is necessary that the relay nodes have a public IP address as the other external relay servers will need to establish incoming TCP/IP connections with yours to exchange and update informations.

You can set 1 public IP address for each one of your relays but you can also use a single public IP address and port-forward to share with your relays.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Hi @Bao, thank you for the feedback. I guess I was wondering why I would ever use the BP's public IP if I didn't need to, and I don't really see a need to.  
> **username_1**: As long as your BP can communicate with your relays, it is not required to have a public IP address on your BP. But your relays will need at least 1 public IP to receive incoming TCP/IP connections.  
> **username_0**: Great that’s all I need to hear, thank you  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2022-05-03. Score: 0

I dont know how you manage your nodes :)
but for security reasons, i would recommend to use another node, which will be the "Jump-Server".

this Jump-Server has a public\_IP, which will be used for you to connect with ssh, and only this system will have access to connect with ssh to the rest of your nodes (BP and Relays)


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