IP (Internet Protocol) Address

An IP (Internet Protocol) Address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network. It serves as a unique identifier, allowing devices to communicate and exchange data over the internet or a local network. These addresses standardized on IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) which defined an IP address as a 32-bit number. The growth of the internet and depletion of available IPv4 addresses necessitated a move to IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) that uses 128-bit numbers.