What Is My IP?
Table of Contents
What Is an IP Address?
An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique numeric label assigned to every device connected to a network, similar to a postal address for the internet. It's how data knows where to go — when you visit a website, your device's IP address tells the destination server where to send the response back.
Public vs Private IP Addresses
Your private IP is assigned by your router to identify your device within your home or office network (e.g. 192.168.1.5) and isn't visible to the outside internet. Your public IP is the address your router uses to communicate with the wider internet, assigned by your Internet Service Provider, and it's this address that websites and services see. Most home connections have a dynamic public IP that changes periodically, while businesses often pay for a static IP that stays fixed — useful for hosting servers or setting up secure remote access.
IPv4 vs IPv6, and How to Check Yours
IPv4 addresses (like 192.168.1.1) use a 32-bit format offering around 4.3 billion unique addresses — a number the world has now essentially exhausted. IPv6 uses a much longer 128-bit format, providing effectively unlimited addresses to keep up with the growing number of internet-connected devices. Most networks today run both side by side. You can check your public IP simply by searching "what is my IP" in any browser, which returns the address your device is currently using to reach the internet — useful when troubleshooting connectivity or setting up remote access and firewall rules.