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Internet Protocol (IP) Address

An IP adress is assigned to a device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.

  • IPv4 addresses are defined as a 32-bit number, which became too small over the 2010s.
  • Succeeded by IPv6, uses 128 bits for the IP address
  • IPv4 and IPv6 are still used side-by-side as of 2025

CIDR = Classless Inter-Domain Routing

  • Number of bits in an IP address are used for the network part (vs the host part)
  • Equivalent to the historically used subnet mask
192.168.1.0/24

That /24 means:

  • The first 24 bits of the IP are the network part
  • The last 8 bits (since IPs are 32 bits) are for hosts

Within a network, the network administrator assigns an IP address to each device.

  • Can be static (fixed or permanent) or dynamic basis, depending on network practices

Citations

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address