IPs

IPs, or Internet Protocol addresses, are unique identifiers assigned to devices that participate in IP-based networks. They enable routers to forward packets between hosts across multiple networks and can be assigned to computers, servers, printers, and other networked devices. IPs exist in two main versions: IPv4 and IPv6.

IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses displayed in dotted decimal notation, such as 192.0.2.1. The address space is divided into public addresses and private addresses, with private ranges defined in RFC 1918 (for example, 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16). IPv4 also includes special-purpose addresses such as loopback (127.0.0.0/8) and broadcast. Due to limited supply, IPv4 deployment commonly uses network addresses with subnetting and Network Address Translation (NAT) to share a single public address among multiple devices.

IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses written as hexadecimal, separated by colons, such as 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334. It provides a vastly larger address space and features designed to improve autoconfiguration, routing, and security. IPv6 supports stateless address autoconfiguration (SLAAC) and optional DHCPv6.

Address types include unicast (one destination), multicast (multiple recipients), and anycast (one of several possible destinations). IPs are allocated and managed globally by the IANA, with regional Internet registries (RIRs) distributing blocks to Internet service providers and other organizations.

Networking practices often pair IP addressing with subnetting (CIDR), routing protocols (such as BGP), and security considerations to ensure scalable and reliable communication.