What is IP Address and How it works?

IP Address, What is IP Address, Full form of IP Address, Why is IP Address used, Types of IP Address, How to check IP Address, What is the version of IP, How to check my IP Address

Do you know what is IP address and how to know someone’s IP address?  The simple answer to this is Internet Protocol Address. People also know it by IP number,  internet address etc. Call it whatever you want, but in the end it is such a link that your device can connect to the internet, communicate with other devices. As name suggest, it is an address. In such a situation, if you do not know what the IP address is, then there is no need to panic. Because there are crores of people like you who use computer but they do not really know what they can do with IP address.

By the way there is no harm in it because even though it has the biggest contribution in connecting your system with the internet, IP address is also called the passport of the internet. Although it is not so important for a common user to know about it. But to be a smart user you must have some knowledge about this technology. So today I thought why not give you complete information about what is IP address and how it works? So that you can know how this technology is used to connect the device to the internet. Then without delay let’s start.

What is IP Address?

IP address is an identifying number of a piece of network hardware. Having an IP address allows a device to communicate with other devices in an IP based network such as the internet. IP address we can also simply say “IP”. This is a unique address by which a device can be easily identified in the internet or a local network. It allows a system to be recognised by other system that are connected by a internet protocol. IP address is actually a set of numbers which act like a digital address, that is, it helps to identify devices connected to a computer network and transfer data between them. The full name of IP address is Internet Protocol Address.

what-is-ip-address-and-how-it-works

What is the full form of IP Address?

The full form of IP Address is Internet Protocol Address.

Why is IP Address used?

An IP address provides an identity to any network device. Just as a home or business office must have a specific physical location to identify them with them identifiable address, similarly different device in a network are differentiated from each other through IP addresses. For example if I want to send a package to my friend who lives in a different country then for this I need to know about its exact destination location. Only the name of the receiver is not enough, it should also have a specific address which is written or attached to that package so that the package can reach easily.

If the data is also sent in the internet with the help of process, wherein instead of a phone book, your computer uses DNS servers, to look up the host name so that it’s IP address can be found. For example, when a user enters a website like www.sarkarijobpage.com in a browser, then a request is sent to the DNS servers to load that page, so that the DND server for that hostname to get its corresponding IP Address. Without an IP Address attached, the user’s computer can not even imagine what it is after and what it wants to find.

Types of IP Address

If you have ever heard about IP addresses before, then you must know that there are many type of IP address, where all IP address are made of numbers and letters, the functions of all addresses are not the same. So let’s know about the types of IP addresses.

1. Private IP Address
2. Public IP Address
3. Static IP Address
4. Dynamic IP Address

1. Private IP Address

These are used “inside” a network, such as the one you probably run in your home. These types of IP addresses are used to communicate your devices with router and other devices in a private network. Private IP addresses are set manually or can be assigned automatically by your router.

2. Public IP Address

These type of IP addresses are used in the “outside” of the network, which are assigned by the ISP. This is the same main address that is used in your home or business network to communicate with network devices around the world. It provides a way for your devices to access the ISP so that you can communicate directly with website and other devices around the world from your own personal computer. Both private IP address and public IP address can be either dynamic or static which means they can be changed or not.

3. Dynamic IP Address

An IP Address that is assigned by a DHCP server is called a Dynamic IP Address.

4. Static IP Address

Whereas if a device does not have DHCP enabled or does not support it, then the IP address is called a static IP address.

How to check IP Address?

Different devices and operating systems require steps to find the IP address. By the way, there are different steps to get it (public IP address and private IP address) which we will know further.

1. Public IP Address

Finding the IP address of your router is very easy, for which you can use any sites such as whatismyIP.org or whatismyIPaddress.com. These sites can work with any network-connected device that supports a web browser such as smartphone, iPod, laptop, desktop, tablet etc.

2. Private IP Address

By the way, it is not so easy to know the private IP address of a specific device. In Windows, you can know the IP address of your device via Command Prompt, for which you will only have to use the ifconfig command. Linux users have to launch a terminal window in their system for this and enter command hostname – I (in which capital I is used) if config or IP address show. Whereas in macOS, you can use the command ifconfig to get your local IP address.

On iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, you can view the private IP address through the setting up in the Wi-Fi menu. To see it, you will need to tap the small “i” button next to the network you are connected to. To see your local IP address in Android Devices, Settings > Wifi, or Settings > Wireless Control > Wifi setting steps have to be followed. You have to tap on the network on which you or on, so that you can see all the information of the network, which also contains the private IP address.

FAQ

1. How many digits are there in an IP address?
Ans. There are 4 numbers in total in the IP Address. For example, your IP address might look something like 189. 185. 1.03. In this each number is present in a set between 0 and 255.

2. Does changing the SIM Card change the IP Address?
Ans. Yes, the IP address changes when you change your SIM card. These IP addresses are assigned to all network devices. In this case, whenever you connect to a new network connection, your IP address also changes.

3. How many classes of IP Address are there?
Ans. There are 5 classes of IP Address. Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D and Class E.

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