Why unique ip addresses

An Internet Protocol address, or IP address is a unique identifier given to every machine in a network. An IP address serves two primary functions. It is used as an interface identification for a network of machines and it also serves to provide a location of that machine, much like a physical address for a home or business.

Because an IP address is a unique identifier, it allows computers to send and receive information to and from specific computers in a given network. Today, there are two standards when it comes to IP addresses. When the Internet Protocol was originally designed, an IP consisted of a bit number and the system was known as Internet Protocol Version 4. IPv4 is still in use today but the Internet has grown at an incredible pace and as IP addresses became more scarce, a new version of Internet Protocol was created.

Internet Protocol Version 6 uses bits for the IP address. IPv6 was originally developed in and it was standardized in When you put a website on the Internet you have a number of options when it comes to hosting. So their other options would be to use a dedicated server or shared web hosting. With shared web hosting there may be hundreds or even thousands of websites on the same server.

With that many websites on one server, all of those websites will often share one IP address. There are some inherent dangers when your website is sharing an IP address with hundreds of other websites. Dynamic IP addresses change automatically and regularly. ISPs buy a large pool of IP addresses and assign them automatically to their customers. Periodically, they re-assign them and put the older IP addresses back into the pool to be used for other customers.

The rationale for this approach is to generate cost savings for the ISP. There are security benefits, too, because a changing IP address makes it harder for criminals to hack into your network interface. In contrast to dynamic IP addresses, static addresses remain consistent. Once the network assigns an IP address, it remains the same.

Most individuals and businesses do not need a static IP address, but for businesses that plan to host their own server, it is crucial to have one. This is because a static IP address ensures that websites and email addresses tied to it will have a consistent IP address — vital if you want other devices to be able to find them consistently on the web. This leads to the next point — which is the two types of website IP addresses.

These are shared and dedicated. Websites that rely on shared hosting plans from web hosting providers will typically be one of many websites hosted on the same server. This tends to be the case for individual websites or SME websites, where traffic volumes are manageable, and the sites themselves are limited in terms of the number of pages, etc. Websites hosted in this way will have shared IP addresses. Some web hosting plans have the option to purchase a dedicated IP address or addresses.

This makes it easier to share and transfer files with multiple people within an organization and allow anonymous FTP sharing options. A dedicated IP address also allows you to access your website using the IP address alone rather than the domain name — useful if you want to build and test it before registering your domain. Google will show you the answer at the top of the page. Other websites will show you the same information: they can see your public IP address because, by visiting the site, your router has made a request and therefore revealed the information.

Generally, you will only receive an approximation of location using this technique — where the provider is, but not the actual device location. If you are doing this, remember to log out of your VPN too. Obtaining the actual physical location address for the public IP address usually requires a search warrant to be submitted to the ISP.

If you need to check the IP addresses of other devices on your network, go into the router. How you access the router depends on the brand and the software it uses. Generally, you should be able to type the router's gateway IP address into a web browser on the same network to access it.

From there, you will need to navigate to something like "attached devices," which should display a list of all the devices currently or recently attached to the network — including their IP addresses. Cybercriminals can use various techniques to obtain your IP address. Two of the most common are social engineering and online stalking. Attackers can use social engineering to deceive you into revealing your IP address. For example, they can find you through Skype or a similar instant messaging application, which uses IP addresses to communicate.

If you chat with strangers using these apps, it is important to note that they can see your IP address. Attackers can use a Skype Resolver tool, where they can find your IP address from your username. Criminals can track down your IP address by merely stalking your online activity.

Any number of online activities can reveal your IP address, from playing video games to commenting on websites and forums. Once they have your IP address, attackers can go to an IP address tracking website, such as whatismyipaddress.

They can then cross-reference other open-source data if they want to validate whether the IP address is associated with you specifically. They can then use LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social networks that show where you live, and then see if that matches the area given. If a Facebook stalker uses a phishing attack against people with your name to install spying malware , the IP address associated with your system would likely confirm your identity to the stalker.

If cybercriminals know your IP address, they can launch attacks against you or even impersonate you. It is important to be aware of the risks and how to mitigate them. Risks include:. Large websites and ecommerce sites often use dedicated IP since these large websites need the bandwidth to handle the high number of visitors. Plus, ecommerce sites must use SSL.

An unexpected error has occurred. Your action has not been completed. Please try again or contact WooRank Support. Want help securing your WordPress site? Recent guides. A Unique IP allows you to view your website by using the ip on the browser. When a DNS update takes place for your domain name, accessing your website is no possible for hours usually but in some cases hours.

This can cause major problems if you immediately have to check website changes.