What is My IP Address?

Every device connected to the internet has an IP (Internet Protocol) address—a numerical label used to identify and route network communications. IPv4 addresses use a 32-bit number expressed as four decimal octets (e.g., 192.168.1.1), while IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses (e.g., 2001:db8::1) to accommodate the growth of internet-connected devices.



IP geolocation works by mapping IP address ranges to geographic and network information. Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and Regional Internet Registries (ARIN for North America, RIPE NCC for Europe, APNIC for Asia-Pacific) maintain records of which organizations were allocated which IP address blocks. Geolocation databases (MaxMind, IP-API, ipinfo.io) correlate these allocation records with additional data to estimate physical location.



The lookup queries a geolocation API with your target IP address and returns structured data: country code, region, city, zip code, latitude/longitude, autonomous system number (ASN), organization/ISP name, and timezone. Accuracy varies—country level is typically 95%+ accurate; city level is 50-80% accurate; street level is not reliable from IP alone.

1. Network Troubleshooting
System administrators troubleshooting connectivity issues use IP lookup to identify which network an IP belongs to, whether it's within expected geographic regions, and what ISP operates it. Unexpected IP addresses in server logs (from unusual countries or known VPN/proxy providers) may indicate security concerns.



2. Verifying Your Own Public IP
Network professionals and home users checking which public IP address their internet connection is using verify their current IP assignment, ensure VPN connections are working (confirming the VPN server's IP shows rather than your home IP), and confirm that IP-based access controls will work correctly.



3. Content and Service Geolocation
Understanding why certain content or services are unavailable in specific regions requires knowing what IP geolocation data shows for a connection. Diagnosing why streaming services restrict content, why some APIs return region-specific responses, or why certain websites behave differently benefits from IP geolocation information.



4. Fraud Detection Research
E-commerce and financial platforms use IP geolocation as one signal in fraud detection. Analyzing IP addresses from suspected fraudulent transactions—checking whether they're from unusual locations, commercial VPN ranges, or known proxy services—helps fraud analysts assess transaction risk.



5. Email Header Analysis
Analyzing email headers to investigate phishing, spam, or business email compromise often requires tracing IP addresses in the Received headers to understand the routing path. IP lookup helps identify which countries and ISPs an email passed through, supporting email forensics.

• IP location is not exact: IP geolocation estimates location based on network infrastructure data, not GPS. For mobile devices, the IP may map to the carrier's data center city, not the device's actual location. Don't use IP geolocation where precise location is required.



• VPNs and proxies change apparent location: When using a VPN, your public IP appears to be from the VPN server's location. Many IP lookup tools also identify whether an IP belongs to known VPN, proxy, or datacenter ranges.



• IPv6 and IPv4 may differ: If your device uses IPv6, your apparent location may differ from your IPv4 address location. Some ISPs route IPv6 traffic through different infrastructure than IPv4.



• Dynamic IPs change over time: Most residential ISPs use dynamic IP addresses that change periodically. Historical lookup data may not reflect the current assignment. For forensics, consider timestamp and ISP information, not just location.



• Respect privacy: IP addresses can be considered personal data in many jurisdictions. Looking up IP addresses found in server logs or communications should be done within applicable privacy regulations and only for legitimate purposes.