Have you ever asked yourself, ‘What is my server address?’ This post explains the ins and outs of server IP addresses, their importance, and usage on a Linux-based OS. Every server or computer connected to the Internet has an IP address. Even machines without Internet connections possess local IP addresses. Servers and computers use IP addresses as a crucial element for communication. You can consider the IP address as the server’s network identification (ID). One server can have multiple IP addresses for better network traffic segregation.
In the following paragraphs, we will explain in more detail what an IP address is, its usage and importance, and how to find your server’s or a domain’s IP address. Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
What Is IP Address?
An IP address or Internet Protocol address is a numerical label that serves two functions: network interface identification and location addressing. Servers or computers use IP addresses to communicate with the Internet. The Internet would not know where to send data without an IP address. Under Internet, we mean the other servers or computers with active Internet connections. A uniquely coded IP address identifies individual devices and transfers information across the internet or local networks.
There are public and private IP addresses based on usage. A public IP address is unique and visible to everyone connected. A public IP address identifies a server or computer on the Internet. By contrast, private networks use private IP addresses exclusively.
Based on the Addressing Scheme, the IP addresses can be IPv4 and IPv6. The IPv4 is the most common IP address. It consists of four sets of numbers separated by dots. For example, 192.168.1.12. Each set of numbers can range from 0 to 255. This format supports over 4 billion combinations of unique IP addresses. This is an example of an IPv4 address:
192.168.1.12
We call each part of the IP address (192, 168, 1, and 12) an octet representing eight bits or bytes with values ranging from 0 to 255.
What is an IPv6 Address?
A shortage of IPv4 addresses led to the creation of IPv6 IP addresses. IPv6 uses 128 bits instead of the 32 bits that IPv4 uses. Eight groups of four hexadecimal digits express IPv6, with each group representing 16 bits. This is an example of an IPv6 IP address:
4765:0da7:86a3:0000:0000::0362:6332
Each of the blocks 4765, 0da7, 86a3 represents a 16-bit block of the address.
Based on the assignment method, IP addresses can be Static or Dynamic. Static IP addresses are permanently assigned to a device, and dynamic IP addresses are temporarily assigned by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).
Why IP addresses are important?
IP addresses are important for quick device identification. When performing any activity over a network, such as browsing a website, downloading data, or sending emails, the IP address will be assigned to the truck on which the device performed a particular activity. IP addresses play a pivotal role in ensuring seamless communication and connectivity.
In the next paragraph, we will explain how you can check what is your server IP address.
What Is My Server Address?
Finding the server’s IP address can be very easy with only one command. There are different ways and commands depending on the type of OS you are using, but we will stick with Linux OS only.
If you are using a Linux OS, the IP address of the server can be found by executing the following command in the terminal:
ip a
You should get output similar to this:
root@host:~# ip a | grep inet
inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
inet6 ::1/128 scope host noprefixroute
inet 192.168.1.104/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic noprefixroute wlx30169d1d0cc9
inet6 fe80::4d2e:27b:b368:82d2/64 scope link noprefixroute
So, the IP address of the server is 192.168.1.104/24.
If you want to know the IP address of the server and you only know the domain of the website, then the following command can help:
nslookup google.com
You will get output similar to this:
root@host:~# nslookup google.com Server: 127.0.0.53 Address: 127.0.0.53#53 Non-authoritative answer: Name: google.com Address: 172.217.0.174 Name: google.com Address: 2607:f8b0:4009:803::200
So, the IP address of the server is 172.217.0.174. In this case, this is the IP address of the Google server, but you will have to replace the command with your domain:
nslookup yourdomain.com
To find out the IP address of the server, you can search the A record of the domain using some online DNS propagation tools such as https://www.whatsmydns.net/
For example, to find the IP address and the A record of some domain,n you need to access the following link:
https://www.whatsmydns.net/#A/yourdomain.com
Where yourdomain.com will be replaced with your actual domain.
Conclusion
In the previous paragraphs, we showed you what IP addresses are, how they are used, the difference between IP addresses, and why they are essential. On top of that, we told you how to find your server’s IP address. The most important thing is that the IP address is crucial for the server or computer connected to the Internet. Without IP addresses, every machine will be cut off from the Internet and unable to communicate with other devices. The IP address is the identification of some devices, and it can be changed easily. This means we are not obliged to use only one specific IP address for our server.
That was it. You learned some basic and essential information about IP addresses. Understanding the concept of IP addresses can help you if you want to host a website and use the best hosting solutions. If you have any questions about IP addresses, you can contact us anytime, and we will help you immediately. We are available 24/7.
If you liked this post about the server’s IP address, please share it with your friends or leave a comment below.