7.2.4 IP (Internet Protocol)

IP (Internet Protocol) is like the mailing address system for the Internet. Every device connected to the Internet has a unique IP address, like a street address for your house or a phone number for your phone. These IP addresses are usually a series of numbers (like 192.168.1.1 or 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334). When you send information across the Internet, IP helps route that information to the correct IP address, making sure it gets to the right computer. It figures out the best path for data to travel across many different networks to reach its destination.

Bibliography:

What is my IP Address? (n.d.). Cloudflare. https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/dns/glossary/what-is-my-ip-address/
Mozilla Explains: What is an IP address? (2021, March 24). Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) Blog. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from https://blog.mozilla.org/en/internet-culture/what-is-an-ip-address/