What is an IP address and how does it work?
An IP address is a unique network address that enables the exchange of data on the internet. Every internet-enabled device, from smartphones and computers to printers and smart TVs, is assigned an IP address so it can communicate with other devices.
An IP address is therefore similar to a mailing address. It indicates where a device can be reached in a network and enables precise delivery of data – much like letters and parcels to a home. Instead of physical mail, data packets such as text, images and videos are sent via IP addresses.
For example, the IP address for https://hostpoint.ch looks like this:
| IPv4 | IPv6 |
|---|---|
| 217.26.48.170 | 2a00:d70:0:a::333 |
The different versions (IPv4 and IPv6) are explained in the section “What standards are there?”.
Why are IP addresses relevant for websites and domains?
All websites are hosted on servers connected to the internet. In order for a website to be accessed via the internet, the IP address of the respective server must be known. This information is stored in a record in the DNS zone of a domain. In addition to the IP address, the DNS zone also contains further technical information about the domain.
If someone now types a domain such as hostpoint.ch into the address bar of their browser, this request is processed by the Domain Name System (DNS). The DNS translates the domain name into the corresponding IP address of the web server so that the browser can load the desired website.
What standards are there?
There are two types of IP address standards: IPv4 and IPv6. The older and widely used IPv4 standard has been the more popular one, but now the available IPv4 addresses are becoming scarce. The new IPv6 version has therefore been introduced – it is more future-proof as it provides a much larger number of addresses.
Hostpoint has been operating most websites and domains using both standards in parallel for many years. This means that our customers’ DNS zones generally contain both IPv4 and IPv6 records.
IPv4
Example: 217.26.48.170
IPv4 addresses are 32 bits long and consist of four groups of numbers from 0 to 255 separated by periods. This makes them particularly easy for humans to read. The front part corresponds to the network address, while the rear part identifies the individual device.
There are around 4.3 billion IPv4 addresses worldwide, which is not enough for all internet-enabled devices.
The IPv4 address is represented by an A record in a domain’s DNS zone.
IPv6
Example: 2a00:d70:0:a::333
IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long and consist of eight groups of numbers. These are expressed as hexadecimal digits and separated by colons. Any group that contains only zeros is usually omitted for reasons of space, as can be seen in the example above.
IPv6 provides a billion times more IP addresses than IPv4 – more than enough for the world’s internet-enabled devices. The IPv6 protocol also includes built-in support for IPsec encryption. However, IPv6 addresses are harder to read due to the hexadecimal notation and are sometimes not supported by older devices and software.
The IPv6 address is represented as an AAAA record in a domain’s DNS zone.
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