Hello readers, in this article we will learn what IP address is, what are its versions, and many other things that you need to know regarding this topic.
Contents
What is an IP address?
IP address stands for Internet Protocol address. Simply, an IP address is a unique address or value provided to different devices to uniquely identify them. An IP address is in the form of integers that are separated by the dot ‘.’ symbol. for example 192.168.10.26 and the same like this. An IP address is also a logical address i.e. we can reach it easily and we can search it easily unlike a MAC address i.e. physical address.
Versions of IP address
Normally, the IP address is divided into two versions. IPV4 and IPV6 i.e version 4 and version 6.
IPV4 address
First of all IPV4 consists of 32 bits i.e. 4 octets are present in the IPV4 address. The range of IPV4 is 0 to 225. The major point to know about IPV4 address is that only 4 billion combinations can be generated in this system which is definitely not enough for all devices. for example 192.168.10.26
IPV6 address
Now we know that only 4 billion IPV4 addresses can be generated, it proposed the need for IPV6 addresses. Here the length of the IPV6 address is 128 bits i.e. 8 octets are present in the IPV6 address. The range of IPV6 address is 0 to FFFF i.e. 65535. Due to this condition, a total of 340 trillion IPV6 addresses can be formed. for example: 2002:4559:1FE2::4559:1FE2.
Private IP Address
Simply, it is the type of IP address that you use in your home for household use cases. For example, if you need to connect between different devices within your home then you will be using a private IP address. When you are using the IP address for personal use then you are using a private IP address.
Public IP Address
If you want to do any business on the internet then you will be using a Public IP address. Let’s say you have a website then you will use the public IP address to connect to the whole world. It is given by our ISP in order to connect to the internet.
Classes of IP address
Generally, IP address is divided into 5 classes.
Class A
In this class of IP addresses, the range is from 0 to 126. for example 125.255.23.17.
Class B
In this class of IP addresses, the range is from 128 to 191. for example 191.23.28.144
The local server
Now you may be noticing that in class A and class B we are skipping the IP address starting from 127. It is because the IP address consisting of 127 is reserved for a local host or local server. It generally means that you can perform any kind of test inside this IP address as it belongs to your local server. for example 127.0.0.1
Class C
In this class of IP addresses, the range is from 192 to 223. for example 192.204.18.114
Class D
In this class of IP addresses, the range is from 224 to 239. for example 224.202.17.114. The main point to notice is that this group of IP addresses is not available for a normal user. It is reserved for multicasting.
Class E
In this class of IP addresses, the range is from 239 to 225. for example 225.225.225.225. Also, this group of IP address is not for a normal user. It is reserved for research.
