My IP Address

What is IP?

IP, or Internet Protocol, is a protocol used for packet-switched data communications. It's the primary network layer protocol in the TCP/IP protocol family. Its purpose is to transmit data based on the addresses of the source and destination hosts. For this purpose, IP defines the addressing method and encapsulation structure of datagrams.

What is an IP address?

An IP address, also known as an Internet Protocol address, is a string of numbers used in the Internet Protocol to identify a device sending or receiving data packets. When a device connects to a network, it is assigned an IP address, which is used as an identifier. IP addresses allow devices to communicate with each other. Without IP addresses, you wouldn't know which device is the sender and which is the receiver. IP addresses serve two main purposes: to identify the device or network and to address it.

What's the difference between a public and private IP address?

IP addresses can be either public or private. A public IP address is a unique number that identifies your network to the outside world, while a private IP address is a unique number that identifies devices connected to your internal network. Your devices, such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and so on, are connected to the local network through a router, whether it's an Ethernet cable or a WiFi wireless connection. Every device has a private IP address on the local network, as well as an outward-facing IP address called the public IP.

How do I find my IP address?

You can see your IP address right here without doing anything. We'll tell you what your public IP is when you're connected to the Internet in the box above.

Why do we need to know my IP?

We need to know your IP address so we can configure internet services on your system, such as games, servers, FTP, etc.

IPv4 and IPv6

IP addresses are just a bunch of numbers. IPv4 is 32 bits long and is usually written in four groups of decimal numbers separated by dots, like this: 172.1.1.1. IPv6 is 128 bits long and is usually written in eight groups of hexadecimal numbers separated by colons, like this: 2001:db8:0:1234:0:567:8:1. The two protocols can run on the same network, but they can't talk to each other.

Static vs. Dynamic IPs

A public IP can be either static, staying the same over time, or dynamic, changing periodically, like after a router reboot. You can use this "What is my IP" page to check your current public IP, whether static or dynamic.