CIDR calculator
Drag the prefix and watch the address space halve. The bit boundary, the host count and the block all move together.
The prefix is a boundary, not a size
A /24 does not mean “256 addresses” by decree. It means the first 24 bits of every address in the block are identical, leaving 8 bits free — and 8 free bits is 2⁸ = 256 addresses. Move the boundary one bit right and you halve the block; one bit left and you double it. Open Details to watch the boundary slide along the 32-bit strip as you drag.
Splitting and merging
Split in half divides the current block into two of the next size down and keeps the one containing your address lit; the sibling stays visible so you can see what you gave up. Click a dimmed sibling to move into it. One level up merges back into the parent block. This is subnetting and supernetting, without the arithmetic.