An IP (Internet Protocol) Address is the number associated to your computer or device. It’s almost like your device’s phone number and connects it to the internet, and allows other devices on the internet to connect to you. Depending on the version, an IP Address is made up of numbers, characters, or both.

Every single device connected to the internet has an IP Address, and the IP Address interacts with networks online to connect and deliver information to your device.

IPv4 and IPv6

There are two types of IP Addresses:

IPv4 is the older version of IP Addresses, there are about 4 billion IPv4 IP Addresses in existence globally. The majority of internet traffic routes through IPv4 IP Addresses https://bgp.potaroo.net/bgprpts/rva-index.html[/efn_note].

Here is an example of what a typical IP Address (IPv4) looks like:

26.41.80.136

The world has run out of IPv4 addresses, and is currently migrating all connectivity to IPv6.

The newer IP Address version, IPv6, combines numbers and letters. IPv6 adopted the hexadecimal format to allow for combinations that don’t conflict with each other and provide more IP Address availability for the growing number of people (and their devices) coming online.

Here is an example of what a typical IP Address (IPv6) looks like:

2001:db8::8a2e:370:7334

In addition to IPv4 and IPv6, there are also public and private IP Addresses, these can be either static or dynamic in nature.

Let’s take a look at each one to better understand the meaning of IP Addresses.

Public IP Address

Your public IP Address is the network your home, business, office, or any public space connects to. Public IP Addresses connect the world to the internet.

If you’d like to know what your public IP Address is, it’s very easy to figure out. You can go to WhatIsMyIP.com and you will see your public IP Address number, the IP Address version (IPv4 or IPv6), your IP Address location, your ISP (Internet Service Provider), and browser information.

Private IP Address

A private IP Address is your device’s IP Address connected to any home, business, or office network. A private IP Address cannot be accessed outside of the home or business network it is connected to.

Computer

Windows

On a Windows device, access the command line interface on Windows Terminal. To get to Windows Terminal, click on “Start” from the start menu, then “Programs” > “Accessories.” From there, select “Command Prompt” to open up your Windows Terminal. On your command line interface, type in the following command to see your device’s private IP Address.

ipconfig /all 

iOS (Mac)

If you have a Mac computer, access the command line through the Terminal App. To get to the Terminal App, click on “Finder” from your dock, select “Applications”, then click “Utilities,” and inside of Utilities, click on the Terminal App. This will open up the command line interface, type in the following command to see your device’s private IP Address:

ifconfig | grep "inet " | grep -Fv 127.0.0.1 | awk '{print $2}' 

Mobile

You can find the private IP Address on your mobile device by going into the Wi-Fi settings. On both Android and iOS mobile devices, you can access the Wi-Fi networks by going to “General Settings” and then clicking on “Wi-Fi.”

Once you’ve click on “Wi-Fi,” you would click the little information icon (i) next to the Wi-Fi connection, this will take you to a new page that will display the device IP Address, IP Address configuration, Router number, and DNS.

Static and Dynamic IP Addresses

Public and private IP Addresses can be either static or dynamic. What’s the difference?

Static

When your IP Address does not change, either through manual configuration, or by your ISP, it is static. A static IP Address does not change automatically and will remain the same unless you change the IP Address or renew the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) lease. A static IP Address cannot change automatically on its own.

Dynamic

Dynamic IP Addresses are assigned automatically to your network when a router connects you to the internet. A system called DHCP manages the distribution of dynamic IP addresses on devices, and they are automatically configured to your device.