IP Address (Internet Protocol Address)

An IP address is a unique address typically assigned by an internet service provider (ISP) that identifies a device on the internet. it is associated to a specific computer or network for a period of time or permanently it is the IP address that allows the computers to send and receive information within the internet.

There are two versions of IP Addresses that are commonly used on the internet

• IPV4: IP stands for Internet Protocol and v4 stands for Version Four (IPv4). IP version four addresses are 32-bit integers which will be expressed in decimal notation.  EX. 192.168.0.172 this is an example of Ipv4 Address
• IPV6:  Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the most recent version of the IP IPv6 was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to deal with the long-anticipated problem of IPv4 address exhaustion and was intended to replace IPv4. The primary reason to make the IPv6 address is because of the exhustion of IPv4. IPv4 is based on 32-bit addressing, limiting it to a total of 4.3 billion addresses. IPv6 is based on 128-bit addressing and can support 340 undecillion, which is 340 trillion³ addresses. Example of IPV6 address 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334

Types Of IP Address

• Private IP: Each device connected to a home network uses a private IP because this IP is only accessible within the home network and it is not facing the internet directly. device with private IP Devices  might include computers, tablets, smartphones, Smart TVs etc.

• Public IP Address: A public IP address is a unique IP address assigned to your network router by your internet service provider which makes all the devices connected to the router have internet access, meaning multiple devices sharing the same internet connection will also share the same public IP address

• Dynamic IP Address: A dynamic IP address is an IP address that an ISP lets you use temporarily, this IP changed for all devices using it  and a IP will be assigned to a different person when not in use

• Static IP Address: Unlike Dynamic IP Address, A Static IP Address never change once they’re assigned by the network. While most internet users and businesses don’t require static IP addresses, they’re a requirement for businesses that wish to host their own web servers. A static IP address ensures that all websites and email addresses associated with a certain web server will always have a consistent IP address so it can be reached on the internet.