elastic IP
compound.compound. a permanent internet address for a computer in the cloud that stays the same even if you restart the system. You use it to make sure your website or app is always easy to find.
compound. a static IPv4 address designed for dynamic cloud computing, specifically within Amazon Web Services (AWS). It allows a user to mask instance or software failures by rapidly remapping the address to another instance in their account.
I need to assign an elastic IP to my new web server.
Because the server's public address changes every time it reboots, the developer used an elastic IP to keep the connection stable.
By decoupling the public IP address from the specific virtual machine instance, an elastic IP enables seamless failover and maintains service availability during infrastructure updates or unexpected hardware crashes.
A compound of the adjective elastic, denoting the capacity to return to a former shape or state after being stretched, and the initialism IP, standing for Internet Protocol.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Typically used within the context of cloud infrastructure and network administration.
Last updated July 22, 2026