What is the purpose of a subnet in OCI?

The purpose of a subnet in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is to isolate resources within a Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) for security and organization. A subnet is essentially a range of IP addresses in your VCN that allows for the segmentation of your cloud resources. By using subnets, you can group resources with similar security or operational needs, helping to create a more defined and manageable architecture.

Subnets also play a crucial role in applying security policies. For example, you can restrict access to certain resources by deploying them in private subnets that do not have direct access to the internet, while other resources that require public access can reside in public subnets.

The ability to manage security and organization makes subnets a foundational building block in OCI's networking capabilities, enabling finer control over networking configurations, including routing and security lists. This way, resources can be effectively managed based on their intended network access and functional roles.

In summary, the focus of a subnet on securing and organizing resources is central to effective cloud infrastructure deployment, ensuring proper segregation according to application requirements.