When hosting a web server, such as a self-hosted website, API, or gaming server, a dynamic IP address can create problems. However, for most users, having a dynamic IP address is sufficient. Some ISP customers, such as large enterprises, will pay to maintain a static IP address (for example, Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1). This is more cost-effective for the ISP than assigning each user a permanent, or static, IP address. Most devices connected to the Internet are assigned temporary IP addresses.įor example, when a home user connects to the Internet on their laptop, that user’s ISP assigns them a temporary IP address from a pool of shared IP addresses. The limited supply of IPv4 addresses led to the introduction of dynamically assigning IP addresses, which is still a very common practice. What is the difference between static IPs and dynamic IPs? For this reason, IPv6 became the successor to IPv4. It used the same 32-bit formatting as IPv4, so it did not adequately solve the problem of not having enough unique IP addresses. *What happened to IPv5? IPv5 was an experimental streaming data protocol that was never implemented. This compromise had to be made because so much of the web is still running on IPv4 addresses. The two versions can run in parallel, but special measures had to be implemented to facilitate communications between IPv4 and IPv6 devices. Despite their differences, both IPv4 and IPv6 have been used concurrently on the web for over a decade. IPv6 provides some other updates to IPv4, including security and privacy improvements. This 128-bit format can support 2 128 unique addresses. The need for more IP addresses led to the implementation of IPv6.* IPv6 addresses use a more complex format that utilizes sets of numbers and letters separated by single or double colons, for example: ‘2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334’. This is a 32-bit format, which means that it allows for 2 32, or about 4.3 billion, unique IP addresses, which it turns out is not enough for the amount of devices that are now on the Internet. The format for IPv4 addresses is four sets of numbers separated by dots, for example: ‘192.0.2.1’. IPv4 was implemented in 1983 and is still in use today. IPv4 and IPv6 are different versions of the Internet Protocol. What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6? What do IP addresses look like? These addresses have a different format based on whether they are IPv4 or IPv6. When a user types a domain name like ‘’ into their browser window, this begins a DNS query which ultimately leads to a DNS server translating the domain name into an IP address. It works like a phone book for IP addresses so that users can access web services using human-friendly domain names. The system that orchestrates all this is called DNS. ![]() Using the provided IP address, Google can send a response back to the user’s device, which will then display that content in the user’s web browser. For this reason, the request will contain the asker’s IP address. Once Google receives the request, it needs to know where to send the website content. Without that address, the pizza delivery person will have no idea which house to deliver the pizza to.įor example, when a user types a domain name, like, into a web browser, this will initiate a request to Google’s web server asking for content (the Google homepage). If someone calls a pizzeria to order a delivery, they need to provide their physical address. The Internet Protocol solves this by assigning IP numbers to every device accessing the Internet.Ī computer’s IP address is like the physical address of a house. With billions of people accessing the Internet every day, unique identifiers are necessary to keep track of who is doing what. ‘IP’ stands for Internet Protocol, which is the set of rules that makes it possible for devices to communicate over the Internet. ![]() What is an IP address and why does it matter? Secure endpoints for your remote workforce by deploying our client with your MDM vendorsĮnhance on-demand DDoS protection with unified network-layer security & observabilityĬonnect to Cloudflare using your existing WAN or SD-WAN infrastructure Get frictionless authentication across provider types with our identity partnershipsĮxtend your network to Cloudflare over secure, high-performing links Integrate device posture signals from endpoint security programs We work with partners to provide network, storage, & power for faster, safer delivery ![]() We partner with leading cyber insurers & incident response providers to reduce cyber risk We partner with an alliance of providers committed to reducing data transfer fees Use insights to tune Cloudflare & provide the best experience for your end users Apply to become a technology partner to facilitate & drive our innovative technologies
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