> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.latitude.sh/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Public networks

> A routed IP block scoped to a project, shared by the servers bonded onto it

A **public network** is a routed block of IPs that belongs to a project, independent of any single server. It's created within a project and billed to your team. Servers on it come and go without affecting the network itself.

To add a server to a public network, see [Network bonding](/docs/servers/network-bonding).

<Note>
  Public networks are available for **bare metal servers** only.
</Note>

## Use cases

* **Shared public network:** put multiple servers on the same public network so they share one routed network — see [Network bonding](/docs/servers/network-bonding).
* **Portable, server-independent IPs:** the public network and its IPs belong to the project, not to a single server.

## Public network sizes

You pick a public network size at creation. The size sets how many servers the public network can hold — each public network reserves 5 IPs (2 for the network and broadcast addresses, 3 for the gateway), and the rest are usable by servers:

| Size | Usable servers |
| ---- | -------------- |
| /26  | 59             |
| /27  | 27             |
| /28  | 11             |
| /29  | 3              |

The location is fixed at creation — a public network can't be moved to another site later.

## Billing

Every IP in a public network is billed **by size, from the moment you create it** — regardless of how many servers use it.

See the [networking pricing page](https://www.latitude.sh/pricing/networking) for current rates.

## Creating a public network

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Public networks">
    Select a project and go to **Network → Public networks** in the sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Create public network">
    Click **Create public network**. Each team can have **2 public networks** by default — [contact support](https://www.latitude.sh/dashboard/support) to request an increase.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a site and size">
    Select the **Site** and a **Size** (`/26`–`/29`). The size sets how many servers the public network can hold. Both are fixed once the public network is created.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Create">
    The public network is allocated immediately with a status of **Not bonded** — billable, but not live until you bond the first server onto it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Deleting a public network

A public network is a separate resource from the servers on it: it survives server deletes and keeps billing until you delete it. You can only delete it once no server is bonded onto it — [tear down the bond](/docs/servers/network-bonding#removing-a-bond-teardown) on every server first, then delete the public network. Check the public network's status to confirm: it shows **Not bonded** when no server is bonded onto it, and **Bonded** otherwise.