Re: [Boost-users] Server application won't bind to ports on IP address other than my internal ones

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Server application won't bind to ports on IP address other than my internal ones
From: Gavin Lambert (boost_at_[hidden])
Date: 2019-01-07 06:25:35

On 7/01/2019 16:58, Richard Hodges wrote:
> The network stack can only bind an acceptor (underneath it's a socket) 
> to an address currently mapped into the IP network stack of the machine, 
> docker container or VM - depending on where you are running it.
> 
> On many hosting services, the external (visible to the world) IP address 
> is not actually on the same machine on which you are running your 
> application. There is usually a facility to map/route the external IP 
> address and port onto the private IP address of your application server.

If you're running it on a home (or small office) network, then it is 
typically your Internet router which actually "has" the external IP; you 
will need to configure port forwarding in this device to map a port from 
the external IP to a port on an internal-network IP.

Bear in mind that your ISP may have restrictions against (and might 
block, especially if they are doing another layer of NAT) servers hosted 
in a home network -- especially in-development ones; and of course there 
are security concerns with doing so as well.  And home external IPs are 
dynamic, so will change from time to time, making them awkward to use 
long-term.