What is an IP Address?

All devices connected to the Internet are identified by a unique IP number. “IP” stands for Internet Protocol, which is the name for a standardized identification scheme. It is via IP numbers that computers on the internet know how to identify each other.

Although we all identify the internet with domains like www.unavailable.com they are really represented with a number and that number is called an IP number. it looks like this

206.123.33.54 or http://206.123.33.54/

That is the ip number of this website and there are also several other ways to display an ip number.

When you enter www.whoisip.com into your browser a special server called a Domain Name Server (DNS) translates the name into a number which then communicates with your IP number which is provided to you by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) or your office network.