Introduction: What Is BYOIP at OVHcloud?
Bring Your Own IP (BYOIP) is a feature from OVHcloud that allows organizations to use IPv4 address ranges they already own directly on the OVHcloud network. Instead of relying solely on OVHcloud-assigned IP addresses, you can import your own public IP ranges and use them as Additional IPs across supported OVHcloud services.
This approach is particularly useful for companies that want long-term IP portability, consistent IP reputation, and greater control over routing and network architecture.
What Is Bring Your Own IP (BYOIP)?
BYOIP allows you to import an existing IPv4 range into OVHcloud and have it announced from their infrastructure using Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Once imported, the IP range behaves like a standard OVHcloud Additional IP product.
When importing a bigger range than a /24, it is internally split up into /24 blocks, usable within a single OVHcloud region, and managed through the OVHcloud Control Panel or API. Announcement of the IP range starts once a /24 block, or part thereof, is assigned to an eligible service.
BYOIP Requirements at OVHcloud
Before ordering the BYOIP service, several technical and administrative requirements must be met to ensure successful delivery and stable routing.
Supported Regional Internet Registries (RIRs)
OVHcloud currently supports IPv4 ranges registered with the following Regional Internet Registries:
- ARIN
- RIPE NCC
- APNIC (support for National Internet Registries is experimental)
The WHOIS record for the IPv4 block must exactly match the imported range. Selecting a parent or child block will prevent the range from being used.
IP blocks from ARIN, RIPE, or APNIC can now be used in any OVHcloud region, removing earlier geographical restrictions.
Accepted IP Block Sizes
OVHcloud accepts IPv4 ranges from size /24 up to /19. Larger ranges are split into multiple /24 blocks during the import process.
A /24 results in one block, while a /19 results in thirty-two /24 blocks. Ranges smaller than /24 or larger than /19 are not supported at launch.
Valid Ownership Status per RIR
The imported IP range must have a valid ownership status depending on the RIR.
For ARIN, supported types include Direct Allocation, Direct Assignment, Reallocated, and Reassigned.
For RIPE NCC, supported statuses include ALLOCATED PA, LIR-PARTITIONED PA, SUB-ALLOCATED PA, ASSIGNED PA, ASSIGNED PI, and LEGACY.
For APNIC, supported statuses include Allocated-Portable, Allocated-Non-Portable, Assigned-Portable, and Assigned-Non-Portable.
Choosing an OVHcloud Region
During the order process, you must select one OVHcloud region where your IP range will be used. Once delivery is complete, /24 blocks can be moved between services within the same region.
It is not possible to change the region of an imported IP range after delivery, where the Gravelines, Roubaix, and Strasbourg regions are regarded as one French region.
Proving Ownership of the IP Range
To verify ownership of the IP range, OVHcloud provides a unique verification token that must be added to the public WHOIS object before placing the order.
For RIPE, the token must be added to the descr field of the inetnum object.
For ARIN, it must be added to the Public Comments field of the Network object.
For APNIC, it must be added to the remarks field of the inetnum object.
The token must appear on its own dedicated line and must remain in place until the delivery process is complete.
Proving Ownership of an AS Number
If you choose to provide your own AS number, ownership must be verified using the same token used for the IP range.
For RIPE, the token must be placed in the descr field of the aut-num object.
For ARIN, it must be placed in the Public Comments field of the ASN object.
For APNIC, it must be placed in the remarks field of the aut-num object.
Allowing OVHcloud to Announce the IP Range
You must create a route object for the IP range in the RIR where it is registered. The route object must exactly match the imported IP range and specify either OVHcloud AS16276 or your own AS number as the origin.
If the IP range is already announced from another provider, routing conflicts or packet loss may occur. In such cases, OVHcloud cannot guarantee connectivity to OVHcloud services.
How BYOIP Works After Delivery
Once delivered, imported IP ranges behave like their regular Additional IP products. Each imported range is split into /24 blocks that can be assigned to eligible services within the selected region.
Announcement of the IP range on the Internet begins when at least one /24 block is assigned to a compatible service.
Some limitations apply. WHOIS records cannot be modified through the OVHcloud Control Panel or API, and reverse DNS handling is restricted. OVHcloud creates ARPA zones during delivery, and reverse DNS changes become publicly visible once the RIR delegates the zone.
IP Range Slicing and Aggregation
Imported IP blocks can be further split into smaller blocks or individual IP addresses through either the OVHcloud API or their Manager.
Slicing an IP Block
To slice a block, it must be unused and have no pending operations. The slicing process is asynchronous, and the resulting blocks behave like standard Additional IP products.
Aggregating IP Blocks
Aggregation allows smaller blocks to be merged back into a parent block. This operation is asynchronous and requires all child blocks to be available.
Conclusion
OVHcloud’s Bring Your Own IP feature enables organizations to use their existing IPv4 resources on a global cloud platform while retaining control over routing and IP reputation. With support for major RIRs, flexible region usage, and API-driven management, BYOIP is well suited for enterprises, ISPs, and SaaS providers.
Proper preparation is essential, particularly when it comes to WHOIS records, route objects, and reputation checks. When configured correctly, BYOIP offers long-term IP portability without sacrificing network stability or performance.