An IP address, short for Internet Protocol address, is a unique identifier assigned to every device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses serve two main functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing.
The importance and benefits of IP addresses are many. For one, they allow devices to communicate with each other on a network. Without IP addresses, devices would not be able to identify each other or send data to and from each other. Additionally, IP addresses allow for the routing of traffic across the Internet. When a device sends data to another device, the data is sent to the recipient’s IP address. The router then uses the IP address to determine the best path for the data to take and forwards the data accordingly.