Does an instance in Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) retain its private IP address?

An instance in Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) retains its private IP address for the duration of its lifecycle within that specific subnet. When you launch an instance in a VPC, it is automatically assigned a private IP address from the subnet's address range. This private IP address is persistent, meaning it remains associated with the instance even after it is stopped and restarted.

Once the instance is terminated, however, the private IP address will no longer be assigned to that instance, but it may potentially be reused for new instances launched in that subnet. This characteristic makes private IP addresses stable identifiers for instances while they are running.

This retention is important for network configurations that rely on consistent IP addresses, making it easier to manage connections and configurations. In contrast, public IP addresses, unless associated with an Elastic IP, are not retained when an instance is stopped or terminated.