IP Address (What is it and how it works?)

Every device working with the internet will require an IP address to communicate with the internet. You may have one or more IP addresses on hand and they are considered as your assets. So. let’s dig into the origin of the IP addresses and how they work.

What is an IP address?

IP address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. Every device has a unique IP address because the network will need to differentiate them from each other using IP addresses.

The IP address allows the transfer of data between devices on the network. In fact, we are using IP addresses every day. For example, when we are surfing the internet with our mobiles, our IP address is doing all the data transfer according to the action we requested.

Types of IP address

The IP addresses can be divided into few types, including private IP addresses, public IP addresses, static IP addresses, and dynamic IP addresses.

1. Private IP Address
   A private IP address is your device's address, connected to the home or business network. If you have multiple various devices connected to one ISP ( Internet Service Provider), then there will be a special private IP address for all of your devices.
   You could never access the IP address from devices outside your home or business network. Private IP addresses aren’t exclusive because there is a limited number of devices on your network.

2. Public IP Address
   The public IP address is the principal IP address to which your home or business network is connected. This IP address links you to the internet, and it is special for all users.

3. Static IP Address
   The static IP address is the IP address that you manually configure and fix on your device's network. The static IP address can not be changed automatically.

4. Dynamic IP Address
   The dynamic IP address will automatically configure and assign an IP to your network when you set up a router on the internet.

Versions of IP Address

The IP address is consists of IPv4 and IPv6.

1. IPv4

1. IPv4 is the first version of IP and was invented in 1981.

2. IPv4 address size contains a 32-bit number.

3. The total number of IPv4 addresses is around 4.3 billion.

4. IPv4 is the most used version of IP address currently.
   

2. IPv6

1. IPV6 is the latest version of IP and was invented in the 1990s.

2. IPv6 address size contains a 128-bit number.

3. The total number of IPv6 addresses is 340 undecillion.

How Does IP Address Works?

Internet Protocol works the same way as all the languages, they are communicating with each other using a set of guidelines.

At the time you read this article, you are using the IP address to get to here.

Wonder how it works? Let’s read further below.

1. Your device connects to the internet indirectly by first connecting to a network connected to the internet, which then provides your device internet access.

2. The connected network probably is the Internet Service Provider (ISP).

3. The ISP will assign the IP address to your device.

4. Your internet activity passes through your ISP, which uses your IP address to deliver it back to you. It is their responsibility to issue an IP address to your device because they are providing you with an internet connection.

5. The IP address will change if you connect to another ISP. You will be served with a new IP address from the current connected ISP.

Conclusion

IP address is important to our internet activities, we hope that you have learned through our articles. If you are interested to know more, feel free to read our blog or follow us on LinkedIn.