What is an IP Address? — The Identity of Every Device
Learn what an IP address is, why it was created, how it works, and the differences between IPv4, IPv6, public, and private IPs.
🌐 What is an IP Address?
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is like the home address of your device on a network.
It helps computers, phones, and servers find and communicate with each other over the internet.
Whenever you visit a website, send an email, or watch a video —
your device and the server use IP addresses to locate and connect to each other.
🧩 Why IP Addresses Were Created
In the early days of networking, computers needed a way to identify and talk to one another.
Just like:
- Your phone number helps people call you
- Your home address helps people send you mail
An IP address helps computers send data to the right destination.
Without IP addresses, the internet wouldn’t know where to deliver your requests or responses.
🧠 How IP Addresses Work
Every time you connect to the internet:
- Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) gives your device an IP address.
- When you open a website (e.g.,
www.google.com), your system uses DNS (Domain Name System) to find the IP address of Google’s server. - Then your browser connects to that IP, and data starts flowing between the two devices.
Example:
Here, 142.250.183.14 is the IP address of a Google server.
🧮 Types of IP Addresses
There are two main types of IP addresses based on how they are used.
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Public IP | Visible on the internet; assigned by your ISP | 49.205.120.15 |
| Private IP | Used inside your home or company network | 192.168.0.1 |
Public IP is like your house’s main address.
Private IP is like room numbers inside the house.
🌎 Public vs Private IP
| Feature | Public IP | Private IP |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Seen by everyone on the internet | Seen only inside local network |
| Given By | Internet Service Provider (ISP) | Router or network admin |
| Example Range | 8.8.8.8, 49.205.120.15 | 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x |
| Use Case | Website hosting, remote access | Home Wi-Fi, internal communication |
🔢 Versions of IP Addresses
There are two versions of IP currently in use — IPv4 and IPv6.
🌍 IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4)
- Created in 1983
- Uses 32-bit addresses
- Example:
192.168.1.1 - Total possible addresses: 4.3 billion
Since the internet grew fast, IPv4 started running out of unique addresses — that’s why IPv6 was created.
🌐 IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6)
- Introduced in 1998
- Uses 128-bit addresses
- Example:
2401:4900:1f36:abc1::10 - Total possible addresses: 340 undecillion (that’s 340 with 36 zeros!)
IPv6 solves the shortage problem and adds features like:
- Better security
- Faster routing
- Built-in auto-configuration
🧭 Static vs Dynamic IP
| Type | Description | Example Use |
|---|---|---|
| Static IP | Fixed and doesn’t change | Servers, hosting websites |
| Dynamic IP | Changes every time you connect | Home or mobile networks |
Your ISP usually gives you a dynamic IP, but servers or businesses often use static IPs so that their address stays the same.
🕸️ How IPs Work in a Network
Let’s take a simple home Wi-Fi example:
| Device | Private IP | Internet Access |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop | 192.168.0.10 | ✅ |
| Mobile | 192.168.0.11 | ✅ |
| Router | 192.168.0.1 | ✅ (has a Public IP too) |
Your router acts like a translator between private and public networks — using something called NAT (Network Address Translation).
🔐 Bonus: IPv4 Address Classes
| Class | Range | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1.0.0.0 – 126.255.255.255 | Large networks |
| B | 128.0.0.0 – 191.255.255.255 | Medium networks |
| C | 192.0.0.0 – 223.255.255.255 | Small networks |
| D | 224.0.0.0 – 239.255.255.255 | Multicasting |
| E | 240.0.0.0 – 255.255.255.255 | Research/testing |
🧾 Summary
- IP (Internet Protocol) address = unique number that identifies a device on a network.
- Public IPs connect you to the internet; Private IPs connect local devices.
- Two versions exist: IPv4 (old, limited) and IPv6 (new, vast).
- IPs can be static (fixed) or dynamic (changes automatically).
- Without IP addresses, the internet simply cannot function — it’s how devices find and talk to each other.
🏁 In short:
An IP address is the digital identity of every device. It’s what makes the global internet work — connecting billions of computers, servers, and people every second.