With the rapid development of cloud computing and Internet infrastructure, public IP is being redefined as a key resource for network external communication. As a flexible, configurable, and highly available public IP solution, Elastic Public IP (EIP) has gradually replaced traditional fixed IP and become the first choice for core businesses such as cloud computing, website deployment, and data docking. However, in the process of selecting elastic public IP, many people do not fully understand the concept of "line".
Many users only focus on price, bandwidth, or regional nodes when purchasing, but ignore the far-reaching impact of line quality. In fact, the "line" of elastic public IP is not a simple technical term, it directly determines the user's access speed and connection stability. This content mainly explains how to choose a high-quality elastic public IP line to help you make the right choice in a complex network environment.
What is an elastic public IP?
The essence of an elastic public IP is a public address provided by a cloud service provider that can be dynamically bound to resources such as cloud servers, load balancers, and NAT gateways. It allows users to apply for, unbind, migrate, and release IP resources on demand, improving the flexibility and management efficiency of cloud architecture. For example, you can bind an EIP to server A to run a website. When A needs maintenance, unbind it and bind the EIP to server B. The entire external IP address remains unchanged, and the business is seamlessly migrated.
Compared with the fixed IP in the traditional IDC model, EIP is not restricted by physical servers, and does not require long-term approval. The elastic configuration and billing model are more suitable for modern cloud deployment architecture. However, the "usefulness" of EIP is not only about flexible resource scheduling, but more importantly, the network line structure behind it.
Why does the line affect the performance of the public network IP?
"Line" is not the physical factors such as fiber access and network cable quality that we often talk about, but refers to how cloud service providers plan the connection path between EIP and the global network backbone. Simply put, the quality of an EIP line depends on which operators, data centers, edge nodes, and international exits it passes through, whether it has intelligent routing scheduling capabilities, and whether it has optimized BGP broadcast strategies.
When accessing an overseas server bound to an EIP in the mainland, if this line does not pass through the high-quality interconnection channels of China's mainstream operators (such as China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile), the access experience may be stuck, packet loss, high latency, and other problems. Especially for cross-border e-commerce, overseas independent sites, games, videos and other businesses that are sensitive to access speed, the quality of the line will directly determine the user retention rate and conversion effect.
Although the EIP provided by some service providers is cheap, it actually only uses a low-cost hybrid IP segment and does not access CN2 or high-quality international BGP lines, which makes users frequently encounter network bottlenecks during use. High-quality EIP lines usually refer to line solutions with access capabilities to global core transmission networks such as CN2 GIA, AS9929, NTT, and Telia.
The real differences between different EIP lines are classified in the following ways:
Single-line direct connection line: If only access to Telecom or only using Mobile lines, it is suitable for users of a single operator. But if your user group is more scattered, it may be that Unicom users have slow access and Telecom users have fast access, and the stability is poor.
Multi-line BGP line: The BGP protocol automatically selects the best route according to the user network, which is suitable for access by mixed operators across the country. The performance is balanced, but whether to use high-quality BGP segments determines its true effect.
Optimize the return line: It is often used for overseas EIP to access domestic users, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Los Angeles and other popular nodes. If you take CN2 GIA/CTG/CMI and other lines, the access speed is fast; if you take low-quality international exports, the experience is poor.
Anycast global line: Through global node IP broadcast technology, the nearest access is achieved, which is especially suitable for CDN acceleration and cross-border API services, but the cost is relatively high.
When users choose a line, they should not only listen to the service provider's verbal "multi-line BGP" or "high-speed dedicated line", but should pay more attention to whether it is truly connected to a high-quality transmission network. For example, the "BGP" provided by some service providers is just an ordinary export, while the real high-quality BGP such as Telia and NTT lines have obvious price differences and obvious differences in user experience.
How to choose a high-quality elastic public IP line
There are many companies that provide EIP services in IDC, including Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Huawei Cloud, AWS, GCP, JTTI, and a large number of small service providers that focus on network optimization. To determine whether an EIP line is reliable, it is recommended to judge from the following dimensions:
Ping test and Tracert route tracking: measure the latency of accessing EIP in multiple regions in China to check whether cross-border packet loss occurs.
Whether to use high-quality backhaul lines: such as CN2 GIA, CTG, 9929, PCCW, etc., check whether its backhaul export routing node matches the target visitor area.
Whether to support line switching or bind multiple network cards: excellent EIP products support one-click line replacement, and can be adjusted at any time if not satisfied.
IP reputation query: query whether the target IP has risks through platforms such as Talos and Spamhaus.
Actual deployment test: you can use a static page to deploy to the server bound to EIP, and use PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix to detect loading speeds in different regions.
It should also be noted that the EIP billing modes of different cloud platforms vary greatly. Some are charged by the hour, while others are charged by bandwidth and traffic. When evaluating the cost-effectiveness, you cannot only look at a single parameter, but must comprehensively consider factors such as line performance, availability, and after-sales service.
EIP line optimization suggestions
Once an EIP is selected, the line usage effect can be further optimized through technical means. Deploy multiple EIP entrances in combination with a load balancer to intelligently distribute traffic based on the access source; or cooperate with intelligent CDN services such as Cloudflare and Quic.Cloud to improve global response speed.
In multi-cloud deployment scenarios, you can set DNS intelligent resolution strategies to switch EIPs in different regions based on user sources; you can also use high-defense nodes in combination with EIP to prevent attack traffic from directly hitting the source station and ensure line stability.
The advantages and disadvantages of elastic public IP lines are not just technical details, but are directly related to the underlying foundation of website access speed, service stability, and user conversion rate. When building a modern Internet business architecture, choosing the right EIP line is a more important decision than you think.
