What is an IP address?
An IP address (Internet Protocol Address) is a unique numerical identifier of a specific device in a computer network built based on the TCP/IP protocol. Working on the Internet requires its global uniqueness. For a private network, it is enough to exclude matches in the local space.
How to get IP?
Any network device can have both internal and external IP addresses. The first one is for the interaction of technology within local networks, the second one serves within the entire Internet.
You can quickly see your external IP from your computer or mobile device with our tool.
What types of IP are used?
There are currently two formats of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. There are more than 4 billion unique addresses in IPv4, but these addresses may end soon as the world wide web is continually growing. Therefore, the IPv6 version was developed. But it has not been fully finalized yet. It is necessary to change equipment in all countries to support the new protocol.
The number of addresses in IPv6 is very high, so most companies will introduce the latest technology over time.
IPv4 has four sets of numbers from 0 to 255, which are separated from each other by three dots. In comparison, IPv6 has eight sets of hexadecimal digits, which are separated by colons instead of dots.
How does it work?
The network looks anonymous only at first glance. Each user has their unique name, and it looks just like an IP address. When connecting even two computers to the same network, you need to teach them to distinguish each other. To do this, use a character set that allows machines to allow or deny access to their data.
Not everything is so simple, though, and an IP of the computer can change. It is generated automatically every time you connect to the network. In the case of local networks, the address will always be the same.
