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What is an IP Address?

Simply put, an IP address (Internet Protocol) is an address of your network hardware. It helps you connect your computer to other devices on your network and around the world. An IP address consists of numbers or characters. It exists not only on computers, but also on tablets and smartphones. And just like a fingerprint, no two IP addresses are exactly the same.

IP has standards set by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). The two main types of IP addresses in use today are IP version 4 (IPv4) and IP version 6 (IPv6).

The first one in use since January 1983 is still the most widely used IPv4. These are 32-bit numbers expressed as four octets, such as 192.0.2.53, called "dotted decimal".

With the commercialization of internet access in 1999, the IANA began to worry that valid IPv4 addresses might run out. That's why the Internet Engineering Task Force, a nonprofit standards organization headquartered in Fremont, California, designed IPv6, the successor to IPv4. These are 128-bit numbers expressed in hexadecimal strings, such as 2001: 0db8: 582: ae33 :: 29. 

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Parts of Your IP Address

An IP address has two parts: The part containing the first three numbers of the address is the network ID. The fourth number in the address is a host ID. If your IP address is 192.168.1.1, the part that is 192.168.1 is the network ID and the last is .1, .2, .3 etc. digit is the host ID. The Network ID shows exactly which network the device is on. Host ID refers to a specific device on that network. (Usually your router is 0.1, and each subsequent device is assigned 0.2, 0.3, etc.)

It is possible to mask your IP address from the outside world via a Virtual Private Network (VPN). When you use a VPN, this prevents the external network from revealing your address.

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What Is the Purpose of an IP Address?

The purpose of an IP address is to establish the connection between a device and the target site. An IP address uniquely identifies every device on the internet. There is no way to communicate with devices without IP. IP addresses allow computing devices (such as PCs and tablets) to communicate with targets such as websites and streaming services and tell websites who is connecting.

Static IPs and Dynamic IPs

Static IP addresses are IP addresses that you manually configure and pin them to your device's network. The IP remains in use when any device is restarted or reconnected to the device. This makes the static IP address a favorite for large business or home networks.

However, dynamic IP is configured automatically. As there are so many mobile devices in the world today, these IP addresses work well for smartphones, laptops and tablets.

Each form of IP address has its pros and cons. Static IP addresses offer more reliable data transfers and exchange information very quickly, but are less secure and easier to track. They are also more expensive and are usually only available at the request of your ISP (internet service provider) who assigned your IP addresses. Dynamic IP addresses are much more secure and difficult to trace; It is cheaper as ISPs can use them continuously. However, only devices with a DHCO (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server can use dynamic IP addresses.

What is Network Protocol?

In networking, a protocol is a standardized way of performing certain actions and formatting data so that two or more devices can communicate and understand each other.

To understand why protocols are needed, consider the process of sending letters. Addresses are written on the envelope in the following order: Name, street address, city, state, and zip code. First the zip code, then the street address, then the state, etc. If an envelope is left in a mailbox, the post office will not deliver the letter. There is an agreed protocol for writing addresses for the postal system to work. Likewise, all IP data packets must present certain information in a certain order, and all IP addresses must follow a standard format.

How Does IP Addressing Work?

An IP address is a unique identifier assigned to a device or domain that connects to the internet. Each IP address is a series of characters such as '192.168.1.1'. Through DNS resolvers that translate user-readable domain names into IP addresses, users can access websites without memorizing this complex string of characters. Each IP packet will contain both the IP address of the device or domains sending the packet and the IP address of the intended recipient, just as both the destination address and the return address are included in a piece of mail.

How Does IP Forwarding Work?

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The Internet consists of large interconnected networks, each responsible for certain blocks of IP addresses; These large networks are known as autonomous systems (AS). Various routing protocols, including BGP, help to route packets between ASs based on their destination IP addresses. Routers have routing tables that specify which ASs packets must pass through in order to reach the desired destination as quickly as possible. Packets travel from AS to AS until they reach someone who takes responsibility for the intended IP address. The O AS then forwards packets to the destination internally.

Packages can take different routes to the same destination as needed, just as a group of people going to an agreed destination takes different routes to get there.

What is TCP/IP?

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is a transport protocol, that is, it determines the way data is sent and received. A TCP header is added to the data part of each packet using TCP/IP. Before transmitting data, TCP opens a connection with the receiver. TCP ensures that all packets arrive sequentially when transmission starts. The receiver will confirm that it has received every incoming packet via TCP. If not confirmed, missing packages will be sent again.

TCP is designed for reliability, not speed. Because TCP has to make sure that all packets arrive in order, it may take longer for data to load via TCP/IP if some packets are missing.

TCP and IP were originally designed to be used together and are often referred to as TCP/IP packets. However, other transport protocols can also be used with IP.

What is UDP/IP?

The User Datagram Protocol (UDP or UDP) is another widely used transport protocol. It is faster than TCP, but also less reliable. UDP does not make sure that all packets are delivered and sequentially, and does not establish a connection before initiating or receiving transfers.

UDP/IP is often used for streaming audio or video because these are use cases where the risk of dropped packets (i.e. missing data) outweighs the need to keep the transmission real-time. For example, when users are watching a video online, not every pixel is required for every frame of the video. Users prefer the video to be played at normal speed rather than sitting and waiting for every bit of data to be delivered.