An IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is a unique identifier assigned to every device connected to the internet or a local network. It is a string of numbers separated by periods, with each number in the set ranging from 0 to 255. An IP address serves two main functions: network interface identification and location. It identifies the host, or more specifically its network interface, and provides the location of the host in the network, allowing for the establishment of a path to that host.
There are two versions of IP addresses that are commonly used on the internet: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is the older of the two and has space for up to 4 billion IP addresses. IPv6, on the other hand, has space for an almost unlimited number of IP addresses.
An IP address is not random and is created based on math. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) allocates the IP address and its creation.
Common tasks for an IP address include both the identification of a host or a network, or identifying the location of a device.
