What is an IP Address? IP Address Location | IPv4 IPv6

 Today we are going to understand what is an IP address. And how you can find your computers or a smartphone's IP address.

Computers on the Internet communicate with each other. With the help of optic fiber. If you want to get a file from the Internet. Then your computer should have an IP address. So that other computers on Internet can find and locate. Your computer address on the internet.

What is an IP Address?

That address of the computer known as an IP address. Let us understand it with an example. Such that if someone wants to send you a mail. Then he or she should have your home address. Your computer also needs an address. So that computers on Internet can send you a file. That you want to access. The address in internal terms known as IP address.

An IP address is nothing but a string of numbers written in a certain format. For example. Your house identified by your area postman by house address. And you get all the things delivered to that address. Similarly, your computer identified by the computer's IP address on the Internet. And you get all the resources available on this computer.

IP address stands for Internet Protocol. Internet protocol is a set of rules that makes the Internet workable. You are able to see this post this time only because your computer or your smartphone has an IP address. And Google is sending you all the data related to this blog to your IP address.

Types of IP Address

Internet Protocol version 4
Internet Protocol version 6

Internet Protocol version 4

Internet Protocol version 4 consists of 32 bits numbers separated with the help of dots. Each bit can range from 0 to 255 in decimal numbers, but computers do not understand the decimal numbers. So these numbers converted to a binary form which is computer understandable.
Thus in the binary decimal range written as 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1. Each number represented by a group of 8 binary bits. So the whole ipv4 address represented by a sequence of 32 bits of 1's or 0's. I should say by a sequence of 32 bits.

So ipv4 is a 32-bit address. In ipv4 a unique sequence of 1's and 0's are assigned to each computer. Thus a total of two raised to power 32 devices. That is approximately 4 billion devices can address. And connected to the internet with ipv4. But there is a problem with this 32-bit ipv4 address. With ipv4 we can connect only a small amount of devices to the Internet. But Nowadays days we have devices like computers, smartphones far more than 4 billion. With the invention of IoT devices, the demand for IP addresses is also increased. So we are moving towards the ipv6 address.

Internet Protocol version 6

IP 6 is the 128-bit IP address. In human-friendly form, ipv6 is written as a group of 8 hexadecimal numbers. It separated with colons. For example. In the human-friendly form, the ipv6 address can be written like 1A:07:2C:01:3C:06:1A. while in computer-friendly form ipv6 address can be written by a sequence of 128 1's or 0's.

Since a unique sequence of 1's and 0's is given to each computer connected to the internet. so with ipv6, a total of two raised to power 128 devices can be connected to the internet. The ipv6 can address a very large amount of devices. Which is actually far more than enough. For many future generations to find your computer's public IP address.

IP address location

To check what is the IP address of the device. Type "What is my IP" in www.google.com. Google will tell you your computer's public IP address. Similarly to find your smartphone's public IP address write or say "what is my IP " in your smartphone. Google will tell you your smartphone's public IP address.

IP address Types

Dynamic IP Address

Static IP Address

Dynamic IP Address

Dynamic IP address. When you connect your device like smartphone or computer to the Internet. The Internet service provider provides you an IP address. From the range of available IP addresses. Now your device has an IP address. So you can connect your device to the Internet and send and receive data to and from the computers on the Internet.

Next time when you connect your device to the Internet. Your internet service provider provides you some different IP addresses. But from the same available range. Since the IP address keeps on changing every time. You connect your device to the Internet. So such IP addresses called dynamic IP addresses.

Static IP Address

Static IP addresses never change. They serve as permanent Internet addresses. Static IP addresses used by DNS servers. What DNS servers actually these are computers that help you to open a website on your computer. Static IP addresses provide information. Such as the device located in which continent. In which country in which city. and which Internet service provider provides internet connection to that device.

Once we know who is the internet service provider. We can trace the location of the device connected to the internet. Thus IP address allows billions of digital devices to be pinpoint. A static IP address is considered somewhat less secure than a dynamic IP address. Because they are easier to track.