Ipv4 Address Vs Ip Address
What’s the Difference Between IPv4 and IPv6? – Guru99
What is IP?
An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the IP protocol for communication. An IP address acts as an identifier for a specific device on a particular network. The IP address is also called an IP number or Internet address.
IP address specifies the technical format of the addressing and packets scheme. Most networks combine IP with a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). It also allows developing a virtual connection between a destination and a source.
Now in this IPv4 and IPv6 difference tutorial, we will learn What is IPv4 and IPv6?
What is IPv4?
IPv4 is an IP version widely used to identify devices on a network using an addressing system. It was the first version of IP deployed for production in the ARPANET in 1983. It uses a 32-bit address scheme to store 2^32 addresses which is more than 4 billion addresses. It is considered the primary Internet Protocol and carries 94% of Internet traffic.
What is IPv6?
IPv6 is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol. This new IP address version is being deployed to fulfill the need for more Internet addresses. It was aimed to resolve issues that are associated with IPv4. With 128-bit address space, it allows 340 undecillion unique address space. IPv6 is also called IPng (Internet Protocol next generation).
Internet Engineer Taskforce initiated it in early 1994. The design and development of that suite are now called IPv6.
KEY DIFFERENCE
IPv4 is 32-Bit IP address whereas IPv6 is a 128-Bit IP address.
IPv4 is a numeric addressing method whereas IPv6 is an alphanumeric addressing method.
IPv4 binary bits are separated by a dot(. ) whereas IPv6 binary bits are separated by a colon(:).
IPv4 offers 12 header fields whereas IPv6 offers 8 header fields.
IPv4 supports broadcast whereas IPv6 doesn’t support broadcast.
IPv4 has checksum fields while IPv6 doesn’t have checksum fields
When we compare IPv4 and IPv6, IPv4 supports VLSM (Variable Length Subnet Mask) whereas IPv6 doesn’t support VLSM.
IPv4 uses ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) to map to MAC address whereas IPv6 uses NDP (Neighbour Discovery Protocol) to map to MAC address.
Features of IPv4
Following are the features of IPv4:
Connectionless Protocol
Allow creating a simple virtual communication layer over diversified devices
It requires less memory, and ease of remembering addresses
Already supported protocol by millions of devices
Offers video libraries and conferences
Features of IPv6
Here are the features of IPv6:
Hierarchical addressing and routing infrastructure
Stateful and Stateless configuration
Support for quality of service (QoS)
An ideal protocol for neighboring node interaction
IPv4 vs IPv6
Difference Between IPv4 and IPv6 Addresses
IPv4 & IPv6 are both IP addresses that are binary numbers. Comparing IPv6 vs IPv4, IPv4 is 32 bit binary number while IPv6 is 128 bit binary number address. IPv4 address are separated by periods while IPv6 address are separated by colons.
Both are used to identify machines connected to a network. In principle, they are the same, but they are different in how they work. Below are the main differences between IPv4 and IPv6:
Basis for differences
IPv4
IPv6
Size of IP address
IPv4 is a 32-Bit IP Address.
IPv6 is 128 Bit IP Address.
Addressing method
IPv4 is a numeric address, and its binary bits are separated by a dot (. )
IPv6 is an alphanumeric address whose binary bits are separated by a colon (:). It also contains hexadecimal.
Number of header fields
12
8
Length of header filed
20
40
Checksum
Has checksum fields
Does not have checksum fields
Example
12. 244. 233. 165
2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:ff00:0042:7879
Type of Addresses
Unicast, broadcast, and multicast.
Unicast, multicast, and anycast.
Number of classes
IPv4 offers five different classes of IP Address. Class A to E.
lPv6 allows storing an unlimited number of IP Address.
Configuration
You have to configure a newly installed system before it can communicate with other systems.
In IPv6, the configuration is optional, depending upon on functions needed.
VLSM support
IPv4 support VLSM (Variable Length Subnet mask).
IPv6 does not offer support for VLSM.
Fragmentation
Fragmentation is done by sending and forwarding routes.
Fragmentation is done by the sender.
Routing Information Protocol (RIP)
RIP is a routing protocol supported by the routed daemon.
RIP does not support IPv6. It uses static routes.
Network Configuration
Networks need to be configured either manually or with DHCP. IPv4 had several overlays to handle Internet growth, which require more maintenance efforts.
IPv6 support autoconfiguration capabilities.
Best feature
Widespread use of NAT (Network address translation) devices which allows single NAT address can mask thousands of
non-routable addresses, making end-to-end
integrity achievable.
It allows direct addressing because of vast address
Space.
Address Mask
Use for the designated network from host portion.
Not used.
SNMP
SNMP is a protocol used for system management.
SNMP does not support IPv6.
Mobility & Interoperability
Relatively constrained network topologies to which move restrict mobility and interoperability capabilities.
IPv6 provides interoperability and mobility
capabilities which are embedded in network devices.
Security
Security is dependent on applications – IPv4 was not designed with security in mind.
IPSec(Internet Protocol Security) is built into the IPv6 protocol, usable with
a proper key infrastructure.
Packet size
Packet size 576 bytes required, fragmentation optional
1208 bytes required without fragmentation
Packet fragmentation
Allows from routers and sending host
Sending hosts only
Packet header
Does not identify packet flow for QoS handling which includes checksum options.
Packet head contains Flow Label field that specifies packet flow for QoS handling
DNS records
Address (A) records, maps hostnames
Address (AAAA) records, maps hostnames
Address configuration
Manual or via DHCP
Stateless address autoconfiguration using Internet Control Message Protocol version 6 (ICMPv6) or DHCPv6
IP to MAC resolution
Broadcast ARP
Multicast Neighbour Solicitation
Local subnet Group management
Internet Group Management Protocol GMP)
Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD)
Optional Fields
Has Optional Fields
Does not have optional fields. But Extension headers are available.
IPSec
Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) concerning network security is optional
Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) Concerning network security is mandatory
Dynamic host configuration Server
Clients have approach DHCS (Dynamic Host Configuration server) whenever they want to connect to a network.
A Client does not have to approach any such server as they are given permanent addresses.
Mapping
Uses ARP(Address Resolution Protocol) to map to MAC address
Uses NDP(Neighbour Discovery Protocol) to map to MAC address
Combability with mobile devices
IPv4 address uses the dot-decimal notation. That’s why it is not suitable for mobile networks.
IPv6 address is represented in hexadecimal, colon- separated notation.
IPv6 is better suited to mobile
networks.
IPv4 and IPv6 cannot communicate with other but can exist together on the same network. This is known as Dual Stack.
IP address – Wikipedia
Not to be confused with IP Code.
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as 192. 0. 2. 1 that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. [1][2] An IP address serves two main functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing.
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) defines an IP address as a 32-bit number. [2] However, because of the growth of the Internet and the depletion of available IPv4 addresses, a new version of IP (IPv6), using 128 bits for the IP address, was standardized in 1998. [3][4][5] IPv6 deployment has been ongoing since the mid-2000s.
IP addresses are written and displayed in human-readable notations, such as 192. 1 in IPv4, and 2001:db8:0:1234:0:567:8:1 in IPv6. The size of the routing prefix of the address is designated in CIDR notation by suffixing the address with the number of significant bits, e. g., 192. 1/24, which is equivalent to the historically used subnet mask 255. 255. 0.
The IP address space is managed globally by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), and by five regional Internet registries (RIRs) responsible in their designated territories for assignment to local Internet registries, such as Internet service providers (ISPs), and other end users. IPv4 addresses were distributed by IANA to the RIRs in blocks of approximately 16. 8 million addresses each, but have been exhausted at the IANA level since 2011. Only one of the RIRs still has a supply for local assignments in Africa. [6] Some IPv4 addresses are reserved for private networks and are not globally unique.
Network administrators assign an IP address to each device connected to a network. Such assignments may be on a static (fixed or permanent) or dynamic basis, depending on network practices and software features.
Function
An IP address serves two principal functions: it identifies the host, or more specifically its network interface, and it provides the location of the host in the network, and thus the capability of establishing a path to that host. Its role has been characterized as follows: “A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how to get there. “[2]
The header of each IP packet contains the IP address of the sending host and that of the destination host.
IP versions
Two versions of the Internet Protocol are in common use on the Internet today. The original version of the Internet Protocol that was first deployed in 1983 in the ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet, is Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4).
The rapid exhaustion of IPv4 address space available for assignment to Internet service providers and end-user organizations by the early 1990s, prompted the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to explore new technologies to expand the addressing capability on the Internet. The result was a redesign of the Internet Protocol which became eventually known as Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) in 1995. [3][4][5]
IPv6 technology was in various testing stages until the mid-2000s when commercial production deployment commenced.
Today, these two versions of the Internet Protocol are in simultaneous use. Among other technical changes, each version defines the format of addresses differently. Because of the historical prevalence of IPv4, the generic term IP address typically still refers to the addresses defined by IPv4. The gap in version sequence between IPv4 and IPv6 resulted from the assignment of version 5 to the experimental Internet Stream Protocol in 1979, which however was never referred to as IPv5.
Other versions v1 to v9 were defined, but only v4 and v6 ever gained widespread use. v1 and v2 were names for TCP protocols in 1974 and 1977, as there was to separate IP specification at the time. v3 was defined in 1978, and v3. 1 is the first version where TCP is separated from IP. v6 is a synthesis of several suggested versions, v6 Simple Internet Protocol, v7 TP/IX: The Next Internet, v8 PIP — The P Internet Protocol, and v9 TUBA — Tcp & Udp with Big Addresses. [7]
Subnetworks
IP networks may be divided into subnetworks in both IPv4 and IPv6. For this purpose, an IP address is recognized as consisting of two parts: the network prefix in the high-order bits and the remaining bits called the rest field, host identifier, or interface identifier (IPv6), used for host numbering within a network. [1] The subnet mask or CIDR notation determines how the IP address is divided into network and host parts.
The term subnet mask is only used within IPv4. Both IP versions however use the CIDR concept and notation. In this, the IP address is followed by a slash and the number (in decimal) of bits used for the network part, also called the routing prefix. For example, an IPv4 address and its subnet mask may be 192. 1 and 255. 0, respectively. The CIDR notation for the same IP address and subnet is 192. 1/24, because the first 24 bits of the IP address indicate the network and subnet.
IPv4 addresses
An IPv4 address has a size of 32 bits, which limits the address space to 4294967296 (232) addresses. Of this number, some addresses are reserved for special purposes such as private networks (~18 million addresses) and multicast addressing (~270 million addresses).
IPv4 addresses are usually represented in dot-decimal notation, consisting of four decimal numbers, each ranging from 0 to 255, separated by dots, e. 1. Each part represents a group of 8 bits (an octet) of the address. In some cases of technical writing, [specify] IPv4 addresses may be presented in various hexadecimal, octal, or binary representations.
Subnetting history
In the early stages of development of the Internet Protocol, the network number was always the highest order octet (most significant eight bits). Because this method allowed for only 256 networks, it soon proved inadequate as additional networks developed that were independent of the existing networks already designated by a network number. In 1981, the addressing specification was revised with the introduction of classful network architecture. [2]
Classful network design allowed for a larger number of individual network assignments and fine-grained subnetwork design. The first three bits of the most significant octet of an IP address were defined as the class of the address. Three classes (A, B, and C) were defined for universal unicast addressing. Depending on the class derived, the network identification was based on octet boundary segments of the entire address. Each class used successively additional octets in the network identifier, thus reducing the possible number of hosts in the higher order classes (B and C). The following table gives an overview of this now-obsolete system.
Historical classful network architecture
Class
Leading bits
Size of network number bit field
Size of restbit field
Numberof networks
Number of addressesper network
Start address
End address
A
0
8
24
128 (27)
16777216 (224)
0. 0
127. 255
B
10
16
16384 (214)
65536 (216)
128. 0
191. 255
C
110
2097152 (221)
256 (28)
192. 0
223. 255
Classful network design served its purpose in the startup stage of the Internet, but it lacked scalability in the face of the rapid expansion of networking in the 1990s. The class system of the address space was replaced with Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) in 1993. CIDR is based on variable-length subnet masking (VLSM) to allow allocation and routing based on arbitrary-length prefixes. Today, remnants of classful network concepts function only in a limited scope as the default configuration parameters of some network software and hardware components (e. g. netmask), and in the technical jargon used in network administrators’ discussions.
Private addresses
Early network design, when global end-to-end connectivity was envisioned for communications with all Internet hosts, intended that IP addresses be globally unique. However, it was found that this was not always necessary as private networks developed and public address space needed to be conserved.
Computers not connected to the Internet, such as factory machines that communicate only with each other via TCP/IP, need not have globally unique IP addresses. Today, such private networks are widely used and typically connect to the Internet with network address translation (NAT), when needed.
Three non-overlapping ranges of IPv4 addresses for private networks are reserved. [8] These addresses are not routed on the Internet and thus their use need not be coordinated with an IP address registry. Any user may use any of the reserved blocks. Typically, a network administrator will divide a block into subnets; for example, many home routers automatically use a default address range of 192. 168. 0 through 192. 255 (192. 0/24).
Reserved private IPv4 network ranges[8]
Name
CIDR block
Address range
Number of addresses
Classful description
24-bit block
10. 0/8
10. 0 – 10. 255
16777216
Single Class A.
20-bit block
172. 16. 0/12
172. 0 – 172. 31. 255
1048576
Contiguous range of 16 Class B blocks.
16-bit block
192. 0/16
192. 0 – 192. 255
65536
Contiguous range of 256 Class C blocks.
IPv6 addresses
Decomposition of an IPv6 address from hexadecimal representation to its binary value
In IPv6, the address size was increased from 32 bits in IPv4 to 128 bits, thus providing up to 2128 (approximately 3. 403×1038) addresses. This is deemed sufficient for the foreseeable future.
The intent of the new design was not to provide just a sufficient quantity of addresses, but also redesign routing in the Internet by allowing more efficient aggregation of subnetwork routing prefixes. This resulted in slower growth of routing tables in routers. The smallest possible individual allocation is a subnet for 264 hosts, which is the square of the size of the entire IPv4 Internet. At these levels, actual address utilization ratios will be small on any IPv6 network segment. The new design also provides the opportunity to separate the addressing infrastructure of a network segment, i. e. the local administration of the segment’s available space, from the addressing prefix used to route traffic to and from external networks. IPv6 has facilities that automatically change the routing prefix of entire networks, should the global connectivity or the routing policy change, without requiring internal redesign or manual renumbering.
The large number of IPv6 addresses allows large blocks to be assigned for specific purposes and, where appropriate, to be aggregated for efficient routing. With a large address space, there is no need to have complex address conservation methods as used in CIDR.
All modern desktop and enterprise server operating systems include native support for IPv6, but it is not yet widely deployed in other devices, such as residential networking routers, voice over IP (VoIP) and multimedia equipment, and some networking hardware.
Just as IPv4 reserves addresses for private networks, blocks of addresses are set aside in IPv6. In IPv6, these are referred to as unique local addresses (ULAs). The routing prefix fc00::/7 is reserved for this block, [9] which is divided into two /8 blocks with different implied policies. The addresses include a 40-bit pseudorandom number that minimizes the risk of address collisions if sites merge or packets are misrouted.
Early practices used a different block for this purpose (fec0::), dubbed site-local addresses. [10] However, the definition of what constituted a site remained unclear and the poorly defined addressing policy created ambiguities for routing. This address type was abandoned and must not be used in new systems. [11]
Addresses starting with fe80::, called link-local addresses, are assigned to interfaces for communication on the attached link. The addresses are automatically generated by the operating system for each network interface. This provides instant and automatic communication between all IPv6 hosts on a link. This feature is used in the lower layers of IPv6 network administration, such as for the Neighbor Discovery Protocol.
Private and link-local address prefixes may not be routed on the public Internet.
IP address assignment
IP addresses are assigned to a host either dynamically as they join the network, or persistently by configuration of the host hardware or software. Persistent configuration is also known as using a static IP address. In contrast, when a computer’s IP address is assigned each time it restarts, this is known as using a dynamic IP address.
Dynamic IP addresses are assigned by network using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). DHCP is the most frequently used technology for assigning addresses. It avoids the administrative burden of assigning specific static addresses to each device on a network. It also allows devices to share the limited address space on a network if only some of them are online at a particular time. Typically, dynamic IP configuration is enabled by default in modern desktop operating systems.
The address assigned with DHCP is associated with a lease and usually has an expiration period. If the lease is not renewed by the host before expiry, the address may be assigned to another device. Some DHCP implementations attempt to reassign the same IP address to a host, based on its MAC address, each time it joins the network. A network administrator may configure DHCP by allocating specific IP addresses based on MAC address.
DHCP is not the only technology used to assign IP addresses dynamically. Bootstrap Protocol is a similar protocol and predecessor to DHCP. Dialup and some broadband networks use dynamic address features of the Point-to-Point Protocol.
Computers and equipment used for the network infrastructure, such as routers and mail servers, are typically configured with static addressing.
In the absence or failure of static or dynamic address configurations, an operating system may assign a link-local address to a host using stateless address autoconfiguration.
Sticky dynamic IP address
Sticky is an informal term used to describe a dynamically assigned IP address that seldom changes. IPv4 addresses, for example, are usually assigned with DHCP, and a DHCP service can use rules that maximize the chance of assigning the same address each time a client asks for an assignment. In IPv6, a prefix delegation can be handled similarly, to make changes as rare as feasible. In a typical home or small-office setup, a single router is the only device visible to an Internet service provider (ISP), and the ISP may try to provide a configuration that is as stable as feasible, i. sticky. On the local network of the home or business, a local DHCP server may be designed to provide sticky IPv4 configurations, and the ISP may provide a sticky IPv6 prefix delegation, giving clients the option to use sticky IPv6 addresses. Sticky should not be confused with static; sticky configurations have no guarantee of stability, while static configurations are used indefinitely and only changed deliberately. [citation needed]
Address autoconfiguration
Address block 169. 254. 0/16 is defined for the special use of link-local addressing for IPv4 networks. [12] In IPv6, every interface, whether using static or dynamic addresses, also receives a link-local address automatically in the block fe80::/10. [12] These addresses are only valid on the link, such as a local network segment or point-to-point connection, to which a host is connected. These addresses are not routable and, like private addresses, cannot be the source or destination of packets traversing the Internet.
When the link-local IPv4 address block was reserved, no standards existed for mechanisms of address autoconfiguration. Filling the void, Microsoft developed a protocol called Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA), whose first public implementation appeared in Windows 98. [13] APIPA has been deployed on millions of machines and became a de facto standard in the industry. In May 2005, the IETF defined a formal standard for it. [14]
Addressing conflicts
An IP address conflict occurs when two devices on the same local physical or wireless network claim to have the same IP address. A second assignment of an address generally stops the IP functionality of one or both of the devices. Many modern operating systems notify the administrator of IP address conflicts. [15][16] When IP addresses are assigned by multiple people and systems with differing methods, any of them may be at fault. [17][18][19][20][21] If one of the devices involved in the conflict is the default gateway access beyond the LAN for all devices on the LAN, all devices may be impaired.
Routing
IP addresses are classified into several classes of operational characteristics: unicast, multicast, anycast and broadcast addressing.
Unicast addressing
The most common concept of an IP address is in unicast addressing, available in both IPv4 and IPv6. It normally refers to a single sender or a single receiver, and can be used for both sending and receiving. Usually, a unicast address is associated with a single device or host, but a device or host may have more than one unicast address. Sending the same data to multiple unicast addresses requires the sender to send all the data many times over, once for each recipient.
Broadcast addressing
Broadcasting is an addressing technique available in IPv4 to address data to all possible destinations on a network in one transmission operation as an all-hosts broadcast. All receivers capture the network packet. The address 255. 255 is used for network broadcast. In addition, a more limited directed broadcast uses the all-ones host address with the network prefix. For example, the destination address used for directed broadcast to devices on the network 192. 0/24 is 192. 255.
IPv6 does not implement broadcast addressing and replaces it with multicast to the specially defined all-nodes multicast address.
Multicast addressing
A multicast address is associated with a group of interested receivers. In IPv4, addresses 224. 0 through 239. 255 (the former Class D addresses) are designated as multicast addresses. [22] IPv6 uses the address block with the prefix ff00::/8 for multicast. In either case, the sender sends a single datagram from its unicast address to the multicast group address and the intermediary routers take care of making copies and sending them to all interested receivers (those that have joined the corresponding multicast group).
Anycast addressing
Like broadcast and multicast, anycast is a one-to-many routing topology. However, the data stream is not transmitted to all receivers, just the one which the router decides is closest in the network. Anycast addressing is a built-in feature of IPv6. [23][24] In IPv4, anycast addressing is implemented with Border Gateway Protocol using the shortest-path metric to choose destinations. Anycast methods are useful for global load balancing and are commonly used in distributed DNS systems.
Geolocation
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2020)
A host may use geolocation software to deduce the geographic position of its communicating peer. [25]
Public address
A public IP address is a globally routable unicast IP address, meaning that the address is not an address reserved for use in private networks, such as those reserved by RFC 1918, or the various IPv6 address formats of local scope or site-local scope, for example for link-local addressing. Public IP addresses may be used for communication between hosts on the global Internet.
In a home situation, a public IP address is the IP address assigned to the home’s network by the ISP. In this case, it is also locally visible by logging into the router configuration. [26]
Most public IP addresses change, and relatively often. Any type of IP address that changes is called a dynamic IP address. In home networks, the ISP usually assigns a dynamic IP. If an ISP gave a home network an unchanging address, it’s more likely to be abused by customers who host websites from home, or by hackers who can try the same IP address over and over until they breach a network. [27]
Firewalling
For security and privacy considerations, network administrators often desire to restrict public Internet traffic within their private networks. The source and destination IP addresses contained in the headers of each IP packet are a convenient means to discriminate traffic by IP address blocking or by selectively tailoring responses to external requests to internal servers. This is achieved with firewall software running on the network’s gateway router. A database of IP addresses of restricted and permissible traffic may be maintained in blacklists and whitelists, respectively.
Address translation
Multiple client devices can appear to share an IP address, either because they are part of a shared web hosting service environment or because an IPv4 network address translator (NAT) or proxy server acts as an intermediary agent on behalf of the client, in which case the real originating IP address is masked from the server receiving a request. A common practice is to have a NAT mask many devices in a private network. Only the public interface(s) of the NAT needs to have an Internet-routable address. [28]
The NAT device maps different IP addresses on the private network to different TCP or UDP port numbers on the public network. In residential networks, NAT functions are usually implemented in a residential gateway. In this scenario, the computers connected to the router have private IP addresses and the router has a public address on its external interface to communicate on the Internet. The internal computers appear to share one public IP address.
Diagnostic tools
Computer operating systems provide various diagnostic tools to examine network interfaces and address configuration. Microsoft Windows provides the command-line interface tools ipconfig and netsh and users of Unix-like systems may use ifconfig, netstat, route, lanstat, fstat, and iproute2 utilities to accomplish the task.
See also
Hostname
IP address spoofing
IP aliasing
IP multicast
List of assigned /8 IPv4 address blocks
Reverse DNS lookup
Virtual IP address
WHOIS
References
^ a b RFC 760, DOD Standard Internet Protocol, DARPA, Information Sciences Institute (January 1980).
^ a b c d J. Postel, ed. (September 1981). Internet Protocol, DARPA Internet Program Protocol Specification. IETF. doi:10. 17487/RFC0791. RFC 791. Updated by RFC 1349, 2474, 6864.
^ a b S. Deering; R. Hinden (December 1995). Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification. Network Working Group. 17487/RFC1883. RFC 1883.
^ a b S. Hinden (December 1998). 17487/RFC2460. RFC 2460.
^ a b S. Hinden (July 2017). 17487/RFC8200. RFC 8200.
^ “IPv4 Address Report”.
^ DeLong, Owen. “Why does IP have versions? Why do I care? ” (PDF). Scale15x. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
^ a b Y. Rekhter; B. Moskowitz; D. Karrenberg; G. J. de Groot; E. Lear (February 1996). Address Allocation for Private Internets. 17487/RFC1918. BCP 5. RFC 1918. Updated by RFC 6761.
^ R. Hinden; B. Haberman (October 2005). Unique Local IPv6 Unicast Addresses. 17487/RFC4193. RFC 4193.
^ R. Hinden; S. Deering (April 2003). Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Addressing Architecture. 17487/RFC3513. RFC 3513. Obsoleted by RFC 4291.
^ C. Huitema; B. Carpenter (September 2004). Deprecating Site Local Addresses. 17487/RFC3879. RFC 3879.
^ a b M. Cotton; L. Vegoda; R. Bonica; B. Haberman (April 2013). Special-Purpose IP Address Registries. Internet Engineering Task Force. 17487/RFC6890. BCP 153. RFC 6890. Updated by RFC 8190.
^ “DHCP and Automatic Private IP Addressing”. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
^ S. Cheshire; B. Aboba; E. Guttman (May 2005). Dynamic Configuration of IPv4 Link-Local Addresses. 17487/RFC3927. RFC 3927.
^ “Event ID 4198 — TCP/IP Network Interface Configuration”. Microsoft. 7 January 2009. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013. “Updated: January 7, 2009”
^ “Event ID 4199 — TCP/IP Network Interface Configuration”. Archived from the original on 22 December 2013. “Updated: 7 January 2009”
^ Mitchell, Bradley. “IP Address Conflicts – What Is an IP Address Conflict? “. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
^ Kishore, Aseem (4 August 2009). “How to Fix an IP Address Conflict”. Online Tech Tips Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
^ “Get help with “There is an IP address conflict” message”. 22 November 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
^ “Fix duplicate IP address conflicts on a DHCP network”. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2013. Article ID: 133490 – Last Review: 15 October 2013 – Revision: 5. 0
^ Moran, Joseph (1 September 2010). “Understanding And Resolving IP Address Conflicts – “. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
^ M. Vegoda; D. Meyer (March 2010). IANA Guidelines for IPv4 Multicast Address Assignments. 17487/RFC5771. ISSN 2070-1721. BCP 51. RFC 5771.
^ RFC 2526
^ RFC 4291
^ Holdener, Anthony T. (2011). HTML5 Geolocation. O’Reilly Media. p. 11. ISBN 9781449304720.
^ “How to Find Your Public IP Address”.
^ “Why Public IP Addresses Change”.
^
Comer, Douglas (2000). Internetworking with TCP/IP:Principles, Protocols, and Architectures – 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-13-018380-4. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010.
Find Your IP Address on Windows or Mac – AVG
Public vs. local IP address: which is which?
The “IP” in IP address is short for “Internet Protocol, ” which is a series of numbers that computers use to store website addresses and identify devices. While people would refer to a site like Google by name, computers use a string of numbers to represent that domain. So when you type in, a Domain Name Service (DNS) translates the request into the string of numbers (IP address) where Google resides on the internet: 8. 8. 8.
IP addresses are also used to identify people. Just like the postal service uses your home address to deliver packages, website servers use your unique IP address (often referred to simply as an “IP”) to send the data you request (in the form of a website) to your device.
Before we get into how to find your IP address, it’s important to determine if you’re looking for a public (also called external) or a local (also called internal) IP address. If you already know the difference, skip directly to our sections on how to find your public IP and how to find your local IP now.
What’s my public IP address?
Your public IP is assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to your home network. It’s how they determine who (out of all their customers) is requesting a specific website and send it along accordingly. When you type in a website you’d like to visit, your IP address is sent along with that request.
What’s my local IP address?
Your local IP is defined by your router, which assigns a unique local IP address to each device on your home network, such as your computers, phones, tablets, smart devices, etc. Your local IP is more private, because it cannot be seen outside of your network.
Public vs. local IP addresses: which is more secure?
As mentioned, your local IP address is not visible to the outside world. You generally only need to know what it is if you’re doing something on your home network, like setting up a local gaming server or troubleshooting printing problems. So it’s generally secure.
In contrast, your public IP address is not secure — it’s visible anytime you visit a web page. Not only that, but pretty much everything you do online reveals your public IP: your browsing history, your online purchases, and even your emails are tagged with your IP.
Think about it: the ads you see are often location-specific, right? You see ads for the local pizza shop and dance studio, not those across the country. Advertisers are able to target you in this way because your public IP address reveals your location.
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Finding your public IP address is easy…
How can you find your public IP address? Just as advertisers can find your public IP quickly, you can easily find it yourself. You can look it up online using a tool like HMA’s IP checker, which will reveal your IP as well as your physical location and ISP.
Even easier still, pop over to Google, type in “what is my ip address” and Google will display the results right there on the search page.
Find your local IP address on a Windows system
Finding your local IP address takes a bit more detective work but can also be done easily using our tips. The process varies a bit depending on what system you have, so in this article, we go through the steps of finding your local IP for several different versions of Windows. Click to jump ahead to the version you have:
Windows 10
Windows 8 and 8. 1
Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows XP
Or skip ahead to Mac
Find your local IP on Windows 10
There are four quick steps to finding your local (or internal) IP address on Windows 10.
Open the Windows Start menu and select Settings.
Select Network & Internet.
Select Wi-Fi in the left-hand panel and then click Advanced Settings. (Or, for wired connections, select Ethernet and then click Network connection. ) For both, your local IP will appear in the next window.
View your local IP: it’ll be displayed under “IPv4 address. ”
Note: you will probably see IPv4 (IP address version 4). Eventually, version 4 will run out of usable IP addresses, so version 6 was created to allow many more addresses. So eventually we’ll all use IPv6, and there’s a chance you could see that instead. (Interested in more details about IPv4 vs. IPv6? )
Find your local IP on Windows 8 and 8. 1
If you use Windows 8 or 8. 1, you can learn how to check your local IP address in three quick steps.
Select Network Connection via the icon and then choose Open Network and Sharing System.
Double-click on Wireless Network Connection, or Local Area Connection for wired connections.
Select Details to see your IP address.
Find your local IP on Windows 7
If you’re using Windows 7, here’s how to find your IP address in three quick steps.
Find the Network Connection icon (which shows you the signal bars in the bottom-right corner of your screen) and select Open Network and Sharing Center.
Double-click on Wireless Network Connection, or Local Area Connection for wired connections. Then select Details….
Your IP address will be shown on the next screen.
Find your local IP on Windows Vista
Finding your local IP address on Windows Vista isn’t too hard — just follow these four steps.
From the Windows Start menu, right-click on Network.
Select Properties to open the Network and Sharing Center.
If you’re on Wi-Fi, look for Wireless Network Connection and then select View Status.
If you’re on a wired connection, look for Local Area Connection and then click View Status.
For both types of connections, choose Details and then your local IP address will be shown in the new window that pops up.
Find your local IP on Windows XP
Here are four quick steps to find your local IP address on Windows XP.
From the Windows Start menu, right-click on My Network Places and then select Properties.
Properties will open to a screen called Network Connections.
If you’re using Wi-Fi, click Wireless Network Connection. If you’re using a wired connection, click Local Area Connection.
Select the Support tab, and then click Details to display your IP.
Can I use command prompt (CMD) to find my IP address?
If you’re familiar with the command prompt (CMD), you can also use it to find your local IP address on any Windows system. All you have to do is take three easy steps.
Open the command prompt: if you have a Start menu in your Windows system, open it and type cmd into the search bar. If you don’t have a search bar, click Run instead.
Type ipconfig into the command prompt (or the Run box).
Find your IP address within the text that pops up.
Find your local IP address on a Mac
You can easily locate your internal IP address on a Mac in a few easy steps.
Open the Apple menu and click on System Preferences….
Either double-click on the Network icon or use the View menu to select Network.
Inside Network Preferences, select either Ethernet (for wired connections) or Wi-Fi on the left side, and your IP address will be displayed in the middle.
Find your IP address using the Mac Terminal
Another easy way to find your local IP address on a macOS system is to use the ipconfig command-line utility on your Mac Terminal.
Open the Terminal either by using Spotlight search, or finding it in Applications >> Utilities.
Enter one of the ipconfig mac commands below to find your IP.
For wired connections, enter ipconfig getifaddr en1 into the Terminal and your local IP will appear.
For Wi-Fi, enter ipconfig getifaddr en0 and your local IP will appear.
You can also see your public IP address in the Terminal: just type curl and your public IP will pop up.
Prevent others from finding your IP address
Now that you know how to locate your IP address, you can see how easy it is to find. Unfortunately, it’s very easy for others to find as well. Advertisers, hackers, and your ISP can be very interested in using your IP to find your location, browsing history, and other private data you leave behind during your digital travels.
Masking your IP address keeps you and your personal information hidden, and you can do so easily with a VPN. AVG Secure VPN encrypts your connection and hides your public IP. Give it a try and take back your online privacy.
Frequently Asked Questions about ipv4 address vs ip address
Is the IPv4 address the same as the IP address?
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) defines an IP address as a 32-bit number. However, because of the growth of the Internet and the depletion of available IPv4 addresses, a new version of IP (IPv6), using 128 bits for the IP address, was standardized in 1998.
Is IPv4 my local IP address?
There are four quick steps to finding your local (or internal) IP address on Windows 10. Open the Windows Start menu and select Settings. Select Network & Internet. … View your local IP: it’ll be displayed under “IPv4 address.”Nov 15, 2019
Which of these IP addresses are IPv4?
For example, 192.0. 2.146 is a valid IPv4 address. IPv4 still routes most of today’s internet traffic. A 32-bit address space limits the number of unique hosts to 232, which is nearly 4.3 billion IPv4 addresses for the world to use (4,294,967,296, to be exact).
