An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a unique set of numbers used to identify every device connected to the Internet. It is usually attached to a domain name and provides an accurate way for the Internet to differentiate between computers, routers, or websites. It contains location information and makes websites accessible to Internet users.
IP addresses are expressed as sets of 4 numbers. For example, it could be 18.243.67.22. Each number in the set can range from 0 to 255, so an ideal IP address should be between 0.0.0.0 and 255.255.255.255. However, the Internet allocates IP addresses through a series of mathematical calculations carried out and allocated by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), a division of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
So when people register their domain names on the internet, they pay a small fee to ICANN to get an IP address attached to their domain name; this makes it possible for people to access their website.
There are two standards for IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is the older version, which only has space for up to 4 billion IP addresses, but IPv6 is the newest version, which has space for trillions of IP addresses.
Types of IP Addresses
Private IP Address
A private IP address allows multiple devices connected to the same network to communicate with each other. The network such as a router assigns IP addresses to each device so it can identify them internally.
Public IP Address
A public IP address is used to connect to the Internet. Having a public IP address on your router allows all the devices connected to it to access the Internet. It also enables you to set up your own email server, monitor your surveillance cameras from anywhere, and access your computer remotely.
Dynamic IP Address
On the other hand, a dynamic IP address is automatically assigned to a network by the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) when a router is set up. DHCP can distribute dynamic IPs and be the router that provides IP addresses to the networks across an organisation or a home. However, unlike the static IP, each time a user logs in, a new IP is automatically assigned, so a user cycles through several IPs across multiple sessions.
Static IP Address
All private and public IP addresses are either static or dynamic. A static IP address is one that a person configures and fixes manually to their device’s network. The address cannot be changed automatically; if an ISP assigns a static IP address to a user account, it will always assign the same address to that user for every session.