An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label
assigned to each device (e.g., computer, printer) participating
in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for
communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host
or network interface identification and location addressing. Its
role has been characterized as follows: "A name indicates what we
seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how to
get there."
The designers of the Internet Protocol defined an IP address
as a 32-bit number and this system, known as Internet Protocol
Version 4 (IPv4), is still in use today. However, because of the
growth of the Internet and the predicted depletion of available
addresses, a new version of IP (IPv6), using 128 bits for the
address, was developed in 1995. IPv6 was standardized as RFC 2460
in 1998, and its deployment has been ongoing since the mid-2000s.
IP addresses are usually written and displayed in
human-readable notations, such as 172.16.254.1 (IPv4), and
2001:db8:0:1234:0:567:8:1 (IPv6).
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) manages the IP
address space allocations globally and delegates five regional
Internet registries (RIRs) to allocate IP address blocks to local
Internet registries (Internet service providers) and other
entities.
You can check your IP address. It also provides additional
information on the IP address.