An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique number assigned to your device while it's connected to a network, letting other devices and servers know where to send data back to - similar to a postal address for your internet traffic. Your internet provider usually assigns it, and it can be shared with other devices on your home network through your router.

IPv4 uses a 32-bit format like 192.0.2.1, giving about 4.3 billion possible addresses - a number the internet has already outgrown, which is why addresses are increasingly shared between multiple devices. IPv6 uses a much longer 128-bit format like 2001:db8::1, providing so many addresses that every device on Earth could have several without ever running out.

Most home connections use a dynamic IP that your provider can reassign - restarting your router or modem (sometimes leaving it off for a few minutes) often gets you a new one. For more control, a VPN or proxy routes your traffic through a different address, and switching networks entirely, for example to mobile data, also changes it. A permanent static IP typically has to be requested from your internet provider.

Right here on ToolsByTek.com! The moment this page loads, it automatically detects and displays your current public IPv4 and/or IPv6 address above - no extra steps, no third-party lookup needed.