IP address

What Is an IP Address Used For?

An IP address provides an identity to a networked device on the internet.

IP Versions (IPv4 vs IPv6)

There are two versions of IP: internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) and internet protocol version 6 (IPv6). The former is the older version, while IPv6 is the upgraded IP version.

IPv4: The way IPv4 addresses are constructed means it's able to provide over 4 billion unique IP addresses (2³²). While this is a large number of addresses, it's not enough for the modern world with all the different devices used on the internet.

IPv6: IPv6 supports 340 trillion, trillion, trillion addresses (2¹²⁸). That's 340 with 12 zeros! This means every person on earth could connect billions of devices to the internet.

Different Types of IP Addresses

There are specific types of IP addresses. While all IP addresses are made up of numbers or letters, not all addresses are used for the same purpose.

• Linux: For Linux, launch a terminal window and enter the command hostname -I (that's a capital "i"), ifconfig, or ip addr show.
• MacOS: For macOS, use the command ifconfig to find the local IP address.
• iOS: iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices show their private IP address through the Settings app in the Wi-Fi menu. To see it, tap the small "i" button next to the network it's connected to.
• Android: Find the local IP address of an Android device through Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi, or depending on your Android version, Settings > Wi-Fi or Settings > Wireless Controls > Wi-Fi settings. Tap the network you're on to see a new window that shows network information that includes the private IP address. Expand the Advanced area of the network details page to see the private IP address.