IP Address in computer networks stands for Internet Protocol Address and is the unique label for each device that can work with the Internet. It is a label made up of numbers that combine to make a unique identity for the device.
IP address is in numerical form and therefore can be easily read by users without the need for decryption. This tag is of great importance in computer networks and the processes of using the Internet between different devices are possible only thanks to IP addresses. Two addresses are currently in use which are IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) and IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6).
IPv4 or Internet Protocol version 4 is older and uses IP addresses as a 32-bit number. The number of users and devices on the Internet increased too much and IPv4 started to fail. IPv4 addresses were not enough and started to go down until IPv6 was introduced with 128 bits used in IP addresses. After 1998 IPv6 is used and during the 2000s it has been developed in the same as IPv4.
The tag is given to the device by the network carrier or host and each of the connected devices gets a unique IP address which can be static or dynamic. Static IP addresses cannot be changed while dynamic IP addresses change and are also less stable compared to static IP addresses.
The main functions of IP addresses include the location of the host and also the connection to the host for the transfer of data packets. The IP address allows interaction with the host by finding it and this also helps in finding the destination.
IP address is the location of any device within the network with many devices that are on the same network. The IP address of the sender, as well as that of the destination, is present in the header of the IP packet that is then carrying the data.