What is an IP address?
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as 192.0.2.1 that is assigned to a
device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses serve two main functions:
network interface identification, and location addressing.
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) was the first standalone specification for the IP address, and has been in
use since 1983. IPv4 addresses are defined as a 32-bit number, which became too small to provide enough addresses as the
internet grew, leading to IPv4 address exhaustion over the 2010s. Its designated successor, IPv6, uses 128 bits for the IP
address, giving it a larger address space. Although IPv6 deployment has been ongoing since the mid-2000s, both IPv4
and IPv6 are still used side-by-side as of 2024.
(source: Wikipedia.com)