IP Address: Definition, Types and Functions in Hosting

IP Address (Internet Protocol Address) is a unique address given to every device connected to the internet network — including the server where your website runs.

Without an IP address, the internet doesn't know where to send data.

Simple analogy

IP addresses work like home addresses. When someone types your domain name into a browser, the internet "looks up their home address" via DNS, then sends a request to the server at the appropriate IP address.

The difference is, the home address never changes — whereas the IP address can change depending on the type of hosting you use.

IP Address Format

There are two versions of IP addresses currently in effect:

Version	Example	Description
IPv4	`103.28.14.55`	The old format, consists of 4 numbers separated by dots. Limited quantity
IPv6	`2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334`	New format, much longer and available in almost unlimited quantities IPv4 is still dominantly used in Indonesian hosting, although IPv6 is slowly starting to be adopted.

Shared IP vs Dedicated IP

In the world of hosting, there are two types of IP addresses that you need to understand:

IP Shared means your server shares one IP address with tens to hundreds of other websites on the same server. This is standard on almost all shared hosting plans.

Dedicated IP means you get one exclusive IP address that is not used by anyone other than your website. Usually available as a paid add-on, or included in VPS and dedicated server packages.

When is a Dedicated IP Required?

Most websites do not need a dedicated IP. Consider if:

You run your own email server and want a clean IP reputation
Your website requires SSL with special configuration on the old server
There are certain applications or integrations that require a static and exclusive IP-You want to isolate reputation from other websites on the same serverFor blogs, business websites, or medium-sized online stores — a shared IP is enough.

What You Need to Pay Attention to

Shared IP reputation can be affected by neighbors — If one of the websites on the same IP carries out spam or suspicious activity, that IP can be blacklisted and have an impact on all websites in it, including your email.
Check your server IP address — Can be done via cPanel, or with the ping namadomain.com command in the terminal. Useful for troubleshooting and configuring DNS.
IP address may change during migration — When you change hosting, the server IP address changes. Make sure all DNS records are updated and wait for the propagation process to complete.

FAQs

Is the IP address the same as the domain?

No. A domain is a name that is easy for humans to remember, such as namadomain.com. The IP address is the numeric address that the server actually uses to communicate. DNS is tasked with translating domains into IP addresses automatically every time someone accesses them.

How do I find out my website's IP address?

The easiest way is to see it in your hosting dashboard or cPanel — usually listed in the account information. Alternatively, you can use online tools such as whatismyipaddress.com or run the ping namadomain.com command in the terminal.

Does changing hosting mean changing the IP address?

Yes, almost always. Each hosting provider has its own IP address block. When you migrate, you need to update the DNS records so that the domain points to the new server IP address.