What is an IP address?

An IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is a unique numerical identifier assigned to every device that is connected to the internet. This includes computers, smartphones, tablets, servers, and any other device that can communicate over the internet.

IP addresses are used to identify and locate devices on the internet, allowing data to be transmitted between them. They are composed of four sets of numbers separated by periods, such as 192.168.0.1. There are two main types of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 addresses are 32-bit numbers and are currently the most common type of IP address. IPv6 addresses are 128-bit numbers and are designed to eventually replace IPv4 addresses.

IP addresses are typically assigned dynamically by an internet service provider (ISP) when a device connects to the internet. However, devices can also be assigned a static IP address, which does not change over time and is useful for certain types of applications such as web servers or remote access.