What is IP address in networking

What you will learn here about IP address in networking.

  • What is IP address in networking
  • IP address classes range
  • IP address format
  • Private IP address ranges
  • How to check my public IP
  • What is 127.0.0.1
  • What is localhost
  • How many gateways can a network have?
  • What is gateway in networking
  • How many gateways can a computer have?
  • Can we change default gateway?

What is IP address in networking?

The IP address is a 32 bit number represented in a dotted decimal form which is used to identify devices such as laptops, mobiles, PCs, tablets, printers, etc on the internet as well as local networks.

IP address classes range

Based on IP address ranges there are five IP address classes which are shown below.

IP address format

The IP address is a 32 bit number represented in a dotted decimal form which is shown below. Each 32-bit address is comprised of a variable-length network portion in the top bits and a host portion in the bottom bits.

Number of network bits and host bits are variable and depends on subnet mask. If you want to know about Subnet mask then please click on the  following link.

What is subnetting in networking

Please note that the IP address does not represent the only host address, the IP address also represents the network address. So if your system or computer is connected to two different networks then your computer or system will have two different IP addresses.

Private IP address ranges

Private IP address, we can access only locally not globally. Private IP addresses are the backbone of the internet. The private IP address table is shown below.

How to check my public IP

Please follow the following steps to know the public IP of your computer

1)Please open any browser

2)Now search what is my ip which is shown below.
How to check my public IP

What is 127.0.0.1

127.0.0.1 is the default IP address assigned to your computer or laptop or device. The 127.0.0.1 is the private IP address so it is not visible or accessible outside your computer or laptop or device. When the client and server both are running on the same system or device or computer, then the client can connect or communicate with server using 127.0.0.1 IP address.
what is 127.0.0.1

What is localhost

The computer or laptop or system on which we install the server is called as host. The IP address of the host is called as the hostname. The default IP address of each host is 127.0.0.1. The IP address 127.0.0.1 is also called as localhost.  The IP address 127.0.0.1 is also called a loopback address.
what is localhost

How many gateways can a network have?

a network can have a maximum one gateway.

If you want to know what is the gateway the please visit the following link.

What is gateway in networking

How many gateways can a computer have?

The number of gateways a computer can have depends on how many networks that computer is connected at a time. For example, your computer is connected to one network via WiFi and another network via LAN cable then your computer can have two gateways at a time which is shown below. Each network can have a maximum one gateway at a time.

How many gateways can a computer have

Can we change default gateway?

Yes, you can change the default gateway. In order to change your default gateway, you need to visit your router admin page and modify there router gateway.

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