# Private Networks

A Private Network (also known as VPC) is a virtual version of a physical network (Layer 2) implemented inside of our production network using VXLAN encapsulation. Private Networks provide the following:

* Internal connectivity for your Compute Instances, including Kubernetes Clusters.
* Complete isolation of network traffic from other Private Networks.
* Integrated DHCP, IP, and DNS management enable easy network configuration.<br>

## Default Networks

Each region comes with a Private Network by default. The default network is an auto-created Private Network with the following addressing scheme:

* Region ALP1: 172.31.0.0/20
* Region ZRH1: 172.31.16.0/20

## Quickstart

1. Start by clicking the **Wizard** button in the [Control Panel](https://my.flow.swiss). Click **Create Private Network.**<br>
2. Name your Private Network and compose a description.<br>
3. Under **CIDR**, specify the IP address allocation in CIDR notation for your Private Network (for example, 10.11.12.0/24).<br>
4. Under **Gateway IP**, specify the IP address that serves as an entrance to other networks, such as the internet (for example, 10.11.12.1).<br>
5. Under **Allocation Pool Start**, specify the IP address that will serve as the start of the DHCP allocation pool. (for example, 10.11.12.100).<br>
6. Under **Allocation Pool End**, specify the IP address that will serve as the end of the DHCP allocation pool. (for example, 10.11.12.200).<br>
7. Under **Domain Name Servers**, specify the IP addresses that will serve as the DNS for your Private Network. (for example, 1.1.1.1, 8.8.8.8).<br>
8. Under **Region**, choose a data center [Region](/platform/regions.md) where your Private Network should be created and click on **Save**. Creating a new Private Network takes a few minutes.

## Pricing

Private Networks are free of charge.

## Regional Availability

Private Networks are available in all regions. They are region-specific resources and can only be assigned within the same region.

## Limitations

Only one subnet per Private Network is supported.


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