What is IP Address?
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: it identifies the host or network interface and provides the location of the host in the network.
IP addresses can be either static or dynamic. Static IP addresses are permanently assigned to a device, while dynamic IP addresses are temporarily assigned and can change over time. Dynamic IP addresses are commonly used in residential networks, as they are more cost-effective and easier to manage.
Types of IP Addresses and Examples
1. IPv4 Address
IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) is the most widely used version. It consists of four number groups separated by dots. Each group is a decimal (0 to 255).
Example: 192.168.1.1
2. IPv6 Address
IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the latest version and was developed to address the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses. It consists of eight groups of four hexadecimal digits, separated by colons.
Example: 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
3. Public IP Address
A public IP address is assigned to every device that connects to the internet and is unique across the entire web. It identifies your device on the global internet.
Example: 172.217.17.110 (This is a hypothetical example of a public IPv4 address.)
4. Private IP Address
Private IP addresses are used within a network and are not visible on the internet. They are assigned to devices within a private space, like a home or office network.
Example: 10.0.0.1 (This is a typical example of a private IPv4 address used in many home networks.)
5. Static IP Address
A static IP address is a permanent address assigned to a computer by an Internet service provider (ISP). It does not change over time.
Example: 192.0.2.55 (This is an example of what a static IPv4 address might look like.)
6. Dynamic IP Address
Dynamic IP addresses are temporarily assigned to a device each time it connects to the internet. They are commonly used in residential networks.
Example: 203.0.113.45 (This is an example of a dynamic IPv4 address that might be assigned to a home user.)
How to Find Your IP Address in Different Programming Languages
My IP in PHP
To find the IP address in PHP, use the $_SERVER global array:
$ipAddress = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];My IP in Laravel
In Laravel, use the Request facade to get the IP address:
$ipAddress = Request::ip();My IP in JavaScript (Client-Side)
In client-side JavaScript, you cannot directly retrieve the user's IP address due to privacy concerns. Typically, you would make an API request to a service that returns the user's IP:
fetch('https://api.ipify.org?format=json')
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => console.log(data.ip));My IP in Node.js
In a Node.js environment, use the request object in your server-side code:
const ip = req.socket.remoteAddress;Note: This might not work as expected behind certain proxies or load balancers.
My IP in Python
For Python, using a third-party service is a common approach:
import requests
response = requests.get('https://api.ipify.org?format=json')
print(response.json()['ip'])
