An IP address is a virtual address that indicates the computer's location in a network. It is used to ascribe an identity that always is unique to every computer that has internet access and it is similar to an actual physical address.
Internet Protocol (IP) address is keen for data transferring between computers or networks. Due to the scope of the internet, data gathering would be almost impossible without a reference point such as a unique IP address.
For example, when you browse the internet, your computer will link URL requests with your IP address which will transmit the request over the internet to retrieve information. Information or the resulting data will only be sent back to the IP address that initiated the request. Accordingly, similar to a normal physical address, two IP addresses are needed for the successful transfer of data between two different systems.
How does an IP address look like?
An IP address can be recognized quite easily. THE Basic IP address contains 4 different numbers separated by dots. For example, your IP address (192.169.211.11) consists of 4 different numbers separated by 3 dots. Each computer has a unique IP address which is assigned by the Internet Service Provider. The set of 4 numbers separated by dots is an element of the Internet Protocol v4 (IPv4) and supports 32 bits.
Nevertheless, regarding the increase in demand for IP addresses, the new Internet Protocol v6 (IPv6) is existing as well. An IPv6 address contains 8 different elements separated by a colon (:) instead of a dot. Unlike IPv4, the IPv6 version can also consist of letters and is able to provide more addresses as such a system supports up to 128 bits.
