IP Address

An IP address is a unique string of numbers separated by periods (IPv4) or colons (IPv6) that identifies each computer or device connected to the Internet or a local network.

IP addresses are the identifier that allows information to be sent between devices on a network: they contain location information and make devices accessible for communication. The internet needs a way to differentiate between different computers, routers, and websites. IP addresses provide a way of doing so and form an essential part of how the internet works.

There are two types of IP addresses:

• IPv4 - most common form. It uses a 32-bit address scheme allowing for a total of >4 billion unique addresses (example address is 192.168.0.1)
• IPv6 - uses a 128-bit address scheme, significantly increasing the number of possible addresses (example address is 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).

IP addresses can be static or dynamic:

• Static - do not change. They serve as a permanent Internet address and provide a simple, reliable way for computers to contact you.
• Dynamic - temporary and assigned each time a device accesses the Internet. They are borrowed from a pool of IP addresses that are shared among multiple computers.