Question 1

What is an IP address?

Accepted Answer

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is the number that identifies your device or network on the internet. Websites, DNS servers and other services use it to send data back to you. Your public IP is assigned by your internet provider and is what the rest of the internet sees.

Question 2

Why doesn’t the map show my exact street?

Accepted Answer

IP geolocation maps an address to the network that owns it, not to your device’s GPS. Accuracy is usually good at the city or region level and can be off by tens of kilometres. It should never be treated as your precise location.

Question 3

IPv4 vs IPv6: what’s the difference?

Accepted Answer

IPv4 (e.g. 203.0.113.10) is the original 32-bit format and is running out of free addresses. IPv6 (e.g. 2a00:1450:4009:81f::200e) is the newer 128-bit format with a practically unlimited pool. Most connections still show an IPv4 address; some networks use IPv6 or both.

Question 4

What is reverse DNS (a PTR record)?

Accepted Answer

Reverse DNS maps an IP address back to a hostname, the opposite of a normal lookup. Mail servers use it as a basic trust signal, and it often reveals which provider or data centre an address belongs to.

Question 5

Can I look up any IP or domain?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Enter any public IPv4/IPv6 address to see its location and network, or enter a domain to pull its live DNS records (A, AAAA, MX, TXT, NS, CNAME, SOA) and geolocate the server it points to. Private and reserved ranges aren’t routable on the public internet, so there’s no location to show for them.

What’s my IP address?

IP & DNS, explained

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