IP Address

Added on April 5, 2026

An IP address (or Internet Protocol) address can be used as a way of identifying a host on a network for a period of time, where that IP address can then be associated with another device without the IP address changing.

An IP address is a set of numbers divided into four octets. The value of each octet will summarise to be the IP address of the device on the network. This number is calculated through a technique known as IP addressing & subnetting. IP addresses can change from device to device but cannot be active simultaneously more than once within the same network.

IP Addresses follow a set of standards known as protocols. These protocols are the backbone of networking and force many devices to communicate in the same language. However, devices can be on both a private and public network. Depending on where they are will determine what type of IP address they have: a public or private IP address.

A public address is used to identify the device on the Internet, whereas a private address is used to identify a device amongst other devices. Public IP addresses are given by your Internet Service Provider (or ISP) at a monthly fee (your bill!)

As more and more devices become connected, it is becoming increasingly harder to get a public address that isn't already in use. So far, we have only discussed one version of the Internet Protocol addressing scheme known as IPv4, which uses a numbering system of 2^32 IP addresses (4.29 billion) - so you can see why there is such a shortage!

IPv6 is a new iteration of the Internet Protocol addressing scheme to help tackle this issue. Although it is seemingly more daunting, it boasts a few benefits:

Supports up to 2^128 of IP addresses (340 trillion-plus), resolving the issues faced with IPv4

More efficient due to new methodologies