An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique numerical identifier assigned to each device on a network to facilitate communication.

IPv4

32-bit addressing, supports 4.3 billion addresses.

IPv6

128-bit addressing, supports an enormous number of addresses, improving scalability and security.

Private IPs

Used within local networks (e.g., 192.168.x.x).

Public IPs

Used on the internet and assigned by ISPs.

Subnet mask

A subnet mask divides an IP address into network and host portions, determining which part identifies the network (ones) and which part identifies the device (zeros).

Example: 255.255.255.0 for 192.168.0.0/24, where 192.168.0 is network, and the last digit is device.