--- title: "Dedicated vs shared IP: when the difference matters | StreetHosting" description: "See what changes between a dedicated and a shared IP, why SNI made a private IP unnecessary for HTTPS, and when it still matters for email, games and firewalls." url: "https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip" type: "page" language: "en-US" --- Infrastructure · 8 min · Beginner Published on Nov 13, 2026 · Updated on Nov 13, 2026 # Dedicated vs shared IP: when an address of your own makes a difference On shared hosting hundreds of sites split one address. For HTTPS that stopped being a problem, but for email, game servers and firewall allowlists it still matters a lot. By [Equipe StreetHosting](https://streethosting.com.br/en/autores#equipe-streethosting) · StreetHosting infrastructure and support team [Certificates and HTTPS](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/topics/ssl) [Hardware and datacenter](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/topics/hardware) Summarize with: [](https://chat.openai.com/?q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fdedicated-vs-shared-ip.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. "ChatGPT") [](https://claude.ai/new?q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fdedicated-vs-shared-ip.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. "Claude") [](https://www.google.com/search?udm=50&aep=11&q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fdedicated-vs-shared-ip.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. "Google AI Mode") [](https://x.com/i/grok?text=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fdedicated-vs-shared-ip.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. "Grok") [](https://www.perplexity.ai/search/new?q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fdedicated-vs-shared-ip.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. "Perplexity") Share: [](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Dedicated%20vs%20shared%20IP%3A%20when%20the%20difference%20matters&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fdedicated-vs-shared-ip "Share on X") [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fdedicated-vs-shared-ip "Share on Facebook") [](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fdedicated-vs-shared-ip "Share on LinkedIn") [](https://wa.me/?text=Dedicated%20vs%20shared%20IP%3A%20when%20the%20difference%20matters%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fdedicated-vs-shared-ip "Share on WhatsApp") For agents: Copy as Markdown [.md](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip.md) In this guide 6 sections * [What each one is](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#o-que-e) * [HTTPS and SNI](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#https-sni) * [Email and IP reputation](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#email) * [Games, firewalls and rDNS](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#outros-casos) * [How to tell if your IP is shared](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#como-saber) * [A dedicated IP at StreetHosting](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#onde-rodar) Quick answer A **shared IP** is an address used by several customers at the same time, common on shared hosting. A **dedicated IP** is an address that is only yours. For HTTPS you no longer need a dedicated IP, because SNI delivers the right certificate to each site. It still matters for **sending email** (the address reputation is yours alone), for **game servers** on a default port, for customers who allow only your IP through their firewall and for setting up **reverse DNS**. ## What each one is[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#o-que-e) Every server on the internet is found by an IP address. On shared hosting, the provider puts hundreds of sites on the same machine and all of them answer on the same address. The web server works out which site you want by looking at the `Host` header of the request, not the IP. A dedicated IP belongs to a single customer. Everything that goes in or out through that address is yours: the traffic, the reputation and the ports. A dedicated IP is usually sold as an extra on shared hosting and comes included with any VPS. | Point | Shared IP | Dedicated IP | | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------- | | Who uses the address | Several customers | Only you | | Email reputation | Depends on your neighbors | Depends only on you | | HTTPS with your own certificate | Works with SNI | Works | | Service ports | Only the ones the provider exposes | All of them, with root access | | Your own reverse DNS | No | Yes, when the provider allows it | | Allowlisting in third party firewalls | Risky, the IP belongs to many people | Safe and specific | ## HTTPS and SNI: the old reason that went away[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#https-sni) For years the main argument for a dedicated IP was the SSL certificate. In the early days of HTTPS, the server had to present the certificate before knowing which site the visitor wanted, so each certificate needed an IP of its own. That is why providers charged for an extra address from anyone who wanted the padlock on their site. SNI (Server Name Indication) fixed that. It is a TLS extension in which the browser sends the site name in the very first message of the connection, and the server picks the matching certificate. Today every relevant browser, phone and HTTP library supports SNI, so several sites with different certificates live on the same IP without trouble. That is how Let's Encrypt spread across shared hosting. To understand the handshake from the inside, see [how TLS and HTTPS work](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/what-is-tls-how-https-works). If someone tries to sell you a dedicated IP by saying it is required for SSL, be suspicious. In 2026 that only applies to very old systems that do not understand SNI, such as some industrial equipment and software frozen in time. ## Email and IP reputation[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#email) This is the case where a dedicated IP still makes a real difference. The big inbox providers, such as Gmail and Outlook, keep a reputation score for each source IP. It depends on how much spam has come from there, how many messages were marked as junk, and whether the source appears on any blocklist, the so called blacklists. On a shared IP, that score is collective. If a single customer on the same machine has an account hacked and blasts out spam, the address can end up on blocklists, and the email of everyone using that IP starts landing in the spam folder or getting rejected. You did nothing wrong and you pay the bill anyway. With a dedicated IP the reputation is built by you alone. That is good when you send email cleanly, but it takes discipline: * **A new IP starts with no history:** begin with low volume and raise it gradually, so providers learn the address is trustworthy. * **SPF, DKIM and DMARC:** still mandatory. A dedicated IP alone authenticates nothing. * **Consistent reverse DNS:** the name the IP returns must match the name the server uses when it introduces itself. This is covered in [what reverse DNS (PTR) is](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/what-is-reverse-dns). * **Check the lists:** before you start sending, look up your IP on public blacklist checkers. Recycled addresses sometimes arrive with a bad history from a previous owner. To build your own mail server with all of this, the step by step is in [email with Mailcow, antispam and port 25](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/mailcow-email-server-vps). If your site only needs to send notification email, such as password recovery, it almost always pays off to use a transactional email service instead of sending straight from the server. Building and keeping an IP reputation for email is ongoing work, and for a few messages the gain is small. ## Games, firewalls and rDNS[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#outros-casos) Outside email, a dedicated IP shows up in three very common situations. * **A game server on a default port:** many games expect a specific port and players connect straight by IP. With a shared IP the port may already be taken by another customer, or the provider simply does not expose it. With your own IP you pick the port the game asks for, and people only type the address. * **Allowlisting in a customer or partner firewall:** companies, banks and third party APIs often accept connections only from a list of allowed addresses. If your IP is shared with strangers, asking for that allowlisting is unsafe for whoever grants it and unstable for you, since the provider can move the address around. With a dedicated IP the allowlisting is specific and predictable. * **Reverse DNS:** you can only have a PTR of your own when the address is yours. Beyond email, some log and monitoring tools show the host name, and a well configured PTR helps identify the server in diagnostics. In environments with NAT, for example behind a router or a carrier that shares the IP across customers, exposing a port may not even be possible. The guide on [NAT and port forwarding](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/what-is-nat-port-forwarding) shows why. ## How to tell if your IP is shared[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#como-saber) A simple test is to find out how many domains answer on the same address. First look up your site's IP: `dig +short seusite.com.br # on Windows: nslookup seusite.com.br` Then look that IP up in a reverse IP lookup service, which lists the known domains on that address. Dozens of results point to a shared IP. On a server of your own, the `ip a` command shows the interface address, and on a VPS it is yours alone. To check whether a specific port is reachable from outside, use the method described in [checking whether a port is open](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/check-open-port-server). ## A dedicated IP at StreetHosting[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#onde-rodar) Every [StreetHosting VPS](https://streethosting.com.br/en/vps) comes with a dedicated IPv4 included. Virtualization is KVM, with root access, so you open the ports you need, run a game server on its default port and set up the web server, email or whatever you like without sharing the address with anyone. All of them are in São Paulo, with AntiDDoS included and activation in about 60 seconds after payment by Pix or card. For your own email, check with support before signing up about the outbound port 25 policy and the PTR request for the IP. If your case is just a site with HTTPS, a shared IP does the job and is no reason to pay more. If it involves your own email, a game port or allowlisting in third party firewalls, a dedicated IP stops being a luxury and becomes a requirement. In this guide * [What each one is](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#o-que-e) * [HTTPS and SNI](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#https-sni) * [Email and IP reputation](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#email) * [Games, firewalls and rDNS](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#outros-casos) * [How to tell if your IP is shared](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#como-saber) * [A dedicated IP at StreetHosting](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/dedicated-vs-shared-ip#onde-rodar) ## Frequently asked questions Do I need a dedicated IP to have HTTPS on my site? No. With SNI, the browser sends the site name at the start of the connection and the server hands back the right certificate, even with hundreds of sites on the same IP. Every current browser and operating system supports it. Does a shared IP hurt SEO? Not directly. Google does not penalize a site just for sharing an IP with others. What counts is the speed and availability of the server. Sharing an IP with banned sites can, at most, indirectly affect the address's reputation, but that is rare. Why does my email land in spam on shared hosting? Because the outgoing IP is used by many customers at once. It takes only one of them blasting spam for the address to end up on a blocklist, and everyone else pays for it. With your own IP the reputation is yours alone. Is a dedicated IP the same as a static IP? No. Static means the address does not change over time. Dedicated means only you use the address. An IP can be static and shared, and it can be dedicated and change once in a while, although on a server that is rare. Does every VPS have a dedicated IP? On StreetHosting VPS, yes. Each VPS gets an IPv4 of its own, with root access to open the ports you need. If you plan to run a mail server, check with support before signing up about the outbound port 25 policy and the reverse DNS request for the IP. Next step See VPS plans Root VPS in Brazil with NVMe and Anti-DDoS. [See VPS plans](https://streethosting.com.br/en/vps) ## Related guides [Infrastructure Intermediate What is reverse DNS (PTR) and why your server needs it Regular DNS turns a name into an IP; reverse DNS goes the other way, through the PTR record. See who controls that record, why it weighs so heavily on email delivery, how to look it up and how to request the PTR for your server. 11 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/what-is-reverse-dns) [Infrastructure Advanced MailCow email server on a VPS: antispam and why port 25 matters MailCow makes running your own email easier, but the result depends on correct DNS, sending reputation and network security policy. In many hosting environments, outbound port 25 is restricted to reduce abuse, while legitimate sending goes through an authenticated relay. Understanding that difference prevents lost deliveries and needless blocks. 4 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/mailcow-email-server-vps) [Infrastructure Intermediate What is NAT and port forwarding: self-hosting at home and why it fails Every device in your home reaches the internet with the same public IP, thanks to NAT. For someone outside to reach one of them, you have to forward a port on the router, and that only works if your router's IP is really public. 8 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/what-is-nat-port-forwarding) [← Back to the Guide Center](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides)