What is an IP Address?

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label assigned to every device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. Think of it like a street address — it helps identify and locate devices so data can be delivered.

IPv4 vs IPv6

There are two main types of IP addresses in use today:

• IPv4: This is the most common format, consisting of four numbers separated by dots (e.g., 192.168.0.1). It uses 32 bits and allows for about 4.3 billion unique addresses.
• IPv6: Designed to solve the exhaustion of IPv4, IPv6 uses 128 bits and is expressed in hexadecimal separated by colons (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334). It supports a vastly larger address space.

IPv6 adoption is rising due to the growing number of Internet-connected devices, especially in IoT.

What Information Can an IP Address Reveal?

When an IP address is looked up, it can reveal:

• Geolocation: Approximate city, region, and country
• ISP (Internet Service Provider): The company providing the IP address
• Organization: The hosting or operating entity
• Coordinates: Latitude and longitude data useful for mapping

These insights are useful for marketing, cybersecurity, and network diagnostics.

Simple Python Script to Extract IP Info

Want to try it yourself? Here's a simple script you can run in a Python environment to get IP info using a public API:

import requests

ip = "8.8.8.8"  # Replace with any IP
response = requests.get(f"http://ip-api.com/json/{ip}")
data = response.json()

print("IP Address:", data["query"])
print("Country:", data["country"])
print("Region:", data["regionName"])
print("City:", data["city"])
print("ISP:", data["isp"])
print("Organization", data["org"])
print("Latitude:", data["lat"])
print("Longitude:", data["lon"])
print("Timezone:", data["timezone"])
  

This script uses the free ip-api.com service. Try changing the IP to see different results.

IP Addresses and Cybersecurity

• Threat Detection: Flagging suspicious IPs trying to access your network
• Geo-blocking: Restricting access from certain regions
• Incident Response: Tracing the origin of attacks
• Forensics: Analyzing access logs for anomalies

IoT and IP Addressing

Billions of smart devices — from thermostats to industrial sensors — use IP addresses to connect. Managing and securing these IPs is critical for maintaining safe and reliable networks.