# Source: https://docs.runpod.io/pods/networking.md

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

# Global networking

> Connect your Pods through a secure private network for internal communication

Global networking creates a secure, private network that connects all your Pods within your Runpod account. This feature enables Pod-to-Pod communication as if they were on the same local network, regardless of their physical location across different data centers.

<Warning>
  Global networking is currently only available for NVIDIA GPU Pods.
</Warning>

## How global networking works

Global networking provides each Pod with a private IP address accessible only to other Pods in your account. This creates an isolated network layer separate from the public internet, which can be used for:

* Distributed computing workloads.
* Microservice architectures.
* Secure database connections.
* Internal API communication.
* Multi-Pod machine learning pipelines.

The network operates at 100 Mbps between Pods, providing reliable connectivity for most inter-Pod communication needs while maintaining security through complete isolation from external networks.

## Enable global networking

To enable global networking for your Pod:

1. Navigate to the [Pods](https://www.console.runpod.io/pods) section and click **Deploy**.
2. At the top of the page, toggle **Global Networking** to filter and show only Pods with networking support.
3. Select your desired GPU configuration and complete the deployment process.

Once deployed, your Pod receives a private IP address and DNS name visible in the Pod details card.

## Connect to other Pods

Each Pod with global networking enabled can be accessed by other Pods using its internal DNS name:

```
POD_ID.runpod.internal
```

Replace `POD_ID` with the target Pod's ID. For example, if your Pod ID is `abc123xyz`, other Pods can reach it at `abc123xyz.runpod.internal`.

### Test connectivity

Verify network connectivity between Pods by opening a web terminal in one Pod and running:

```bash  theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
# To install ping on your Pod, run: apt-get install -y iputils-ping
ping POD_ID.runpod.internal
```

This confirms the private network connection is working correctly.

### Run internal services

Services running on networked Pods are automatically accessible to other Pods without exposing ports publicly. Simply bind your service to all interfaces (`0.0.0.0`) and connect using the internal DNS name.

For example, a database on Pod `abc123xyz` listening on port 5432 would be accessible to other Pods at:

```
abc123xyz.runpod.internal:5432
```

Each service communicates privately through the internal network, reducing attack surface and improving security.

## Security best practices

Global networking provides network isolation, but proper security practices remain essential. Never expose ports on Pods running sensitive services like databases, cache servers, or internal APIs; instead, use global networking for these components. Even within your private Pod network, you should implement authentication between services.

## Supported data centers

Global networking is available in these 17 data centers worldwide:

| Region ID | Geographic location |
| --------- | ------------------- |
| CA-MTL-3  | Canada              |
| EU-CZ-1   | Czech Republic      |
| EU-FR-1   | France              |
| EU-NL-1   | Netherlands         |
| EU-RO-1   | Romania             |
| EU-SE-1   | Sweden              |
| EUR-IS-2  | Iceland             |
| OC-AU-1   | Australia           |
| US-CA-2   | California          |
| US-GA-1   | Georgia             |
| US-GA-2   | Georgia             |
| US-IL-1   | Illinois            |
| US-KS-2   | Kansas              |
| US-NC-1   | North Carolina      |
| US-TX-3   | Texas               |
| US-TX-4   | Texas               |
| US-WA-1   | Washington          |

Choose data centers strategically based on:

* Geographic proximity for lower latency
* Compliance requirements for data residency
* Availability of specific GPU types

## Next steps

With global networking configured, explore these related features:

* [Expose ports](/pods/configuration/expose-ports) to make specific services publicly accessible
* Set up [network volumes](/storage/network-volumes) for shared persistent storage.
* Set up [SSH access](/pods/configuration/use-ssh) for secure Pod management.

For additional support or enterprise networking requirements, [contact our customer service team](https://contact.runpod.io/hc/en-us/requests/new).