Frequently Asked Questions

An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique numerical label assigned to every device connected to a network. It serves two purposes: identifying the device and providing its network location. IPv4 addresses look like 192.168.1.1 and IPv6 addresses look like 2001:db8::1.

Your public IP is the address your internet provider assigns to your connection — it's what websites see when you visit them. You can find it instantly on our What Is My IP page or the homepage.

IP geolocation is an estimate, not GPS. Your IP is registered to your internet provider's network hub, which may be in a different city than you. Mobile carriers and CGNAT setups make this even less precise. Country-level accuracy is around 95%, but city-level accuracy is much lower. Read our full explanation: Why Is My IP Location Wrong?

Your public IP is assigned by your ISP and is visible to the internet. Your private IP is assigned by your router and only exists within your local network (e.g. 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x). Websites only ever see your public IP.

Most residential ISPs assign dynamic IPs that can change when your router restarts or after a lease period. Some ISPs offer static IPs (usually for an extra fee). Mobile data connections change IP addresses frequently. VPNs replace your visible IP with the VPN server's address.

DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-readable domain names like google.com into IP addresses like 142.250.80.46. Without DNS, you'd need to memorize the IP address of every website you visit. It works like the internet's phonebook.

By default you use your ISP's DNS server, but you may have changed it in your router or device settings. Our DNS Server Checker shows you exactly which server is resolving your queries right now.

Standard DNS queries are sent in plain text, meaning your ISP (and anyone on your network) can see every domain you look up. DNS over HTTPS encrypts those queries inside HTTPS traffic so they're private. You can enable it in Firefox, Chrome, and Windows 11. Read our full guide: DNS over HTTPS Explained.

A DNS leak happens when your device sends DNS queries outside your VPN tunnel, exposing your browsing activity to your ISP even while connected to a VPN. You can test for DNS leaks using our VPN Leak Test tool.

Yes. When you connect to a VPN, websites see the VPN server's IP address instead of yours. However, your VPN provider can still see your real IP, and DNS leaks can expose your queries even with a VPN active. Use our VPN Leak Test to verify your VPN is working correctly.

A VPN hides your IP address but doesn't make you anonymous. Websites can still identify you through browser fingerprinting, cookies, logged-in accounts, and WebRTC leaks. A VPN is one layer of privacy, not a complete solution.

Yes. Under GDPR, IP addresses are considered personal data because they can be used to identify an individual (with ISP cooperation). Websites that log your IP address are required to handle it in accordance with their privacy policy.

Ports are virtual endpoints that allow a computer to run multiple network services simultaneously. Port 80 is HTTP, port 443 is HTTPS, port 22 is SSH, and so on. Use our Port Checker to test whether a specific port is reachable from the internet.

WHOIS is a public database that shows who registered a domain name or owns an IP address block — including their name, organization, contact details, and registration dates. Use our WHOIS Lookup to query any domain or IP.

A standard DNS lookup goes from domain → IP. Reverse DNS goes the other way: IP → hostname. It's used to verify the identity of mail servers, diagnose network issues, and check if an IP resolves to a legitimate hostname. Try our Reverse DNS Lookup.

An ASN (Autonomous System Number) is a unique identifier assigned to a network operated by a single organization — typically an ISP, hosting provider, or large company. It groups IP ranges under one routing entity. Look up any IP or ASN with our ASN Lookup tool.

Email blacklists (also called DNSBLs) are databases of IP addresses known for sending spam or malicious traffic. If your server's IP is listed, your emails may be blocked or filtered. Use our IP Blacklist Check to see if an IP appears on major blacklists.

Yes. Every tool on IP Tools Pro is completely free to use with no account, sign-up, or payment required. View the full list on our All Tools page.

No. Tool inputs like IP addresses and domain names are used only to generate your results and are not stored or logged. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

We use minimal browser storage for preferences like theme selection. We also use Google Analytics to understand site traffic. See our Cookie Policy for details.