#25 Internet Protocol Address (IP Address) | System Design Crash Course
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An IP address, short for Internet Protocol address, is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses serve two primary purposes:
1. **Identification:** IP addresses uniquely identify devices on a network, similar to how a postal address identifies a physical location. They allow data to be directed to the correct destination in a networked environment.
2. **Routing:** IP addresses are used for routing data packets between devices on the Internet or a local network. Routers and switches use these addresses to determine where to forward data packets.
There are two main versions of IP addresses:
1. **IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4):** This is the older and more widely used version of IP addresses. IPv4 addresses consist of four sets of numbers, each ranging from 0 to 255 (e.g., 192.168.1.1). However, the number of available IPv4 addresses is limited, which led to the development of IPv6.
2. **IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6):** IPv6 addresses are designed to replace IPv4 because they provide a vastly larger address space. IPv6 addresses are written in a hexadecimal format and are longer than IPv4 addresses (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).
IP addresses can be further categorized into two types:
1. **Public IP Address:** These are globally unique addresses used to identify devices on the public Internet. They are assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to homes, businesses, and data centers. Public IP addresses allow devices to communicate with each other across the Internet.
2. **Private IP Address:** These addresses are used within private networks, such as home or corporate networks. They are not routable on the public Internet and are used for internal communication. Common private IP address ranges include 192.168.x.x and 10.x.x.x.
IP addresses play a crucial role in the functioning of the Internet and computer networks. They enable devices to find and communicate with each other across vast distances, facilitating everything from web browsing to email communication and the operation of cloud services.
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