Two simple, but fundamental ways IP addresses are used within the average WordPress website! The Anatomy of an IP AddressĪn IP address is split into two halves. If it identifies suspicious activity, it will block that IP address from accessing your site.Ĭonversely, you can manually add your own IP address to the whitelist to ensure you are always able to access it. A whitelist is a list of trusted IP addresses.Ī WordPress firewall tracks all IP addresses that try to access your website. Both depend on IP addresses to work.Ī blacklist is a list of IP addresses that are blocked from accessing your website. Many WordPress firewalls include blacklists and whitelists.
The other way a website owner utilizes IP addresses is if you use a firewall. Without them, you wouldn’t know where people were coming from and wouldn’t be able to identify their location or your key markets. If you run an online store or want to track where people visit your website from, IP addresses play a key role.Īnalytics tools will capture the IP address and identify where in the world those IP addresses are used to provide that data. Leave a comment below if you want to join the conversation, or click here if you would like personal help or to engage with our team privately. What Does IP Addressing Have to Do With Running WordPress Websites? It ends at 255 because that’s the maximum number in an octet, which is how 32-bit addressing works.Īs there are four sets of numbers, which are octets (8 bits of information), 4 x 8 = 32.ĭon’t worry about that part, we just include that for completeness. We say ‘usually strings of numbers’ because addressing is changing. IP addresses are usually strings of numbers, broken up into 4 lots of 3, like 172.217.14.206. It’s a similar thing for networks.Ĭomputers and other devices use IP addresses in the same way we use phone numbers to communicate with each other.Īny networked device needs an IP address to be able to send and receive traffic.Įvery phone, computer, laptop, tablet, internet-enabled refrigerator and any other device requires one. Your friends need your number so they can call or WhatsApp you. Think of them as your phone number and you don’t be far wrong. They enable different devices within a network to identify and communicate with one another. What is an IP address?Īn IP address is a numerical address given to devices on the internet or local network.