An IP address is a unique number that your devices use to communicate on the internet. This unique number is necessary for sending and receiving information.
You need an IP address for many things, such as sharing files or surfing the Web, but if you don’t have one, you can use a Virtual Private Network or VPN, and it is an IP address from a specific network.
You may have an IP address, but it isn’t likely to be yours. When you install a new Internet-capable device, you get an IP address from the router. Most networks will keep track of that IP address for a short time and release it to the public.
An IP address is a number that identifies one machine in a specific network. The IP address is a series of numbers that is a specific combination and can identify a computer or router on a network.
By IP address, we can locate any router or computer in a network via World Wide Web. It is also used to send and retrieve information between networks and computers.
What Is an IP Address?
IP stands for Internet Protocol, and it is a unique address that identifies a computer attached to the internet. It is assigned to each device connected to the internet, and it allows information to be transmitted between computers.
The IP address is usually a 32-bit number and is displayed in decimal (base 10) or hexadecimal (base 16). An IP address is unique to every computer and network so that it can be identified by any other computer or network.
Each computer has an IP address that can be used by other computers to identify and communicate with each other. It’s like a home address that is used by the postal service to identify the recipient of the letter, in order to deliver the letter to the correct location.
Key highlights of IP Address
Here below, we have mentioned all the key highlights of IP Address:-
- Computers can communicate with each other through internet protocol (IP) addresses.
- It is possible to determine the location of a user based on their IP address since the addresses are used to send and receive information.
How does an IP Address work?
When you want to access the internet using a computer, you need an IP address. IP addresses consist of four sets of numbers that are separated by dots.
For example, the IP address 1.2.3.4 is a simple IP address. 1.2 is the network address, 3.4 is the host address. These numbers can be arranged in any order and still be correct.
IP addresses are important because they give computers addresses to communicate with each other. Without IP addresses, it would be impossible to use the internet.
Types of IP Addresses
In total, there are four types of IP Addresses, and here we have mentioned them below:-
- Public IP address
- Private IP address
- Static IP Address
- Dynamic IP address
- Public IP address: Public IP address is an IP address that is accessible by anyone on the internet. It is the address that your computer uses to identify itself to other devices on the network. If you want to host a website or run a server, you will need to publicize your public IP address so that others can access your content.
- Private IP address: A private IP address is an IP address that is used internally by a company. This type of IP address is not accessible from the public internet. Instead, it is used for communication between devices within a company’s network. Private IP addresses are mainly assigned by a company’s network administrator.
- Static IP Address: A static IP address is a permanent IP address assigned to a device by an Internet Service Provider. Static IP addresses are often used in business settings to provide a consistent address for devices that need to be accessed from outside the local area network. Static IP addresses can also be used to host web servers and other network services.
- Dynamic IP address: Unlike static IP addresses that may vary from device to device, dynamic IP addresses are temporary, allocated to a device every time that device connects to the internet. Dynamic IP addresses can be traced back to IP addresses that are shared between a number of computers. Another type of internet protocol address is dynamic IP addresses. Dynamic IP addresses are active for a certain period of time, after which they will expire.
Types of Website IP Addresses
There are two types of Website IP addresses:-
- Shared IP Addresses: Usually, shared IP addresses are used by small business websites that have a limited number of visitors or do not have enough files or pages on their websites to warrant a unique IP address.
- Dedicated IP Addresses: Dedicated IP addresses are used to prevent possible backlisting due to bad behavior on the server. A dedicated IP address is assigned uniquely to each website.
Versions of IP address
There are two versions of IP address, and here they are:-
- IPV4 address: IPV4 address is the most widely used IP version since it’s the first version of the IP address. The IPv4 version uses a 32-bit address system under which 2^32 addresses could be stored, and that’s why it is considered as the primary Internet Protocol.
- IPV6 address: IPV6 address is the latest version of IP address, and it’s mainly deployed to accomplish the need for more internet addresses. In contrast, the IPV6 allows 340 undecillion unique address space with the 128-bit address system.
That’s it, as in this post, we have covered all the necessary points and explanations to briefly describe “What is an IP Address & Types of IP Addresses.” But, if you still have any questions then please don’t hesitate to contact us.