An IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. It serves two primary functions: identifying the host or networking interface and providing the location of the device in the network.
There are two main versions of IP addresses:
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IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4): This is the most widely used version and consists of a 32-bit address, typically represented in decimal format as four octets separated by periods (e.g., 192.168.1.1). IPv4 allows for approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses, which has proven insufficient due to the rapid growth of internet-connected devices.
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IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6): To address the limitations of IPv4, IPv6 was developed. It uses a 128-bit address, represented in hexadecimal format and separated by colons (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334). This allows for an enormous number of unique IP addresses, effectively resolving the shortage issue.
IP addresses can be static (permanently assigned to a device) or dynamic (assigned temporarily by a network when a device connects). They can also be classified as public (accessible over the internet) or private (used within local networks). Overall, IP addresses are essential for routing internet traffic and facilitating communication between devices.