IP address

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique numerical identifier assigned to each device connected to a computer network using the Internet Protocol. It works like a postal address: it enables data to be routed to the right recipient. There are two main types: IPv4 (in the 192.168.0.1 format), which is still widely used, and IPv6 (in the 2001:0db8::1 format), which was developed to overcome the shortage of addresses. An IP address can be public (visible on the Internet) or private (used within a local network). Depending on the configuration, it may be static (fixed) or dynamic (assigned automatically by a DHCP server).