How subnetting works
An IPv4 address has 32 bits. The prefix length (the number after the slash) says how many of those bits identify the network; the rest identify hosts inside it. A /24 keeps 24 network bits and leaves 8 for hosts: 28 = 256 addresses, of which 254 are usable because the first (network address) and the last (broadcast) are reserved. Point-to-point links often use /31(RFC 3021), where both addresses are usable, and /32 describes a single host.
The full explanation, with worked examples, is in What is a subnet mask.
CIDR to subnet mask reference
| CIDR | Subnet mask | Addresses | Usable hosts |
|---|---|---|---|
| /8 | 255.0.0.0 | 16,777,216 | 16,777,214 |
| /9 | 255.128.0.0 | 8,388,608 | 8,388,606 |
| /10 | 255.192.0.0 | 4,194,304 | 4,194,302 |
| /11 | 255.224.0.0 | 2,097,152 | 2,097,150 |
| /12 | 255.240.0.0 | 1,048,576 | 1,048,574 |
| /13 | 255.248.0.0 | 524,288 | 524,286 |
| /14 | 255.252.0.0 | 262,144 | 262,142 |
| /15 | 255.254.0.0 | 131,072 | 131,070 |
| /16 | 255.255.0.0 | 65,536 | 65,534 |
| /17 | 255.255.128.0 | 32,768 | 32,766 |
| /18 | 255.255.192.0 | 16,384 | 16,382 |
| /19 | 255.255.224.0 | 8,192 | 8,190 |
| /20 | 255.255.240.0 | 4,096 | 4,094 |
| /21 | 255.255.248.0 | 2,048 | 2,046 |
| /22 | 255.255.252.0 | 1,024 | 1,022 |
| /23 | 255.255.254.0 | 512 | 510 |
| /24 | 255.255.255.0 | 256 | 254 |
| /25 | 255.255.255.128 | 128 | 126 |
| /26 | 255.255.255.192 | 64 | 62 |
| /27 | 255.255.255.224 | 32 | 30 |
| /28 | 255.255.255.240 | 16 | 14 |
| /29 | 255.255.255.248 | 8 | 6 |
| /30 | 255.255.255.252 | 4 | 2 |
| /31 | 255.255.255.254 | 2 | 2 |
| /32 | 255.255.255.255 | 1 | 1 |