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Glossary · Network

IP address

Also calledipinternet protocol address
Definition

An IP address is the number that identifies a device or server on a network, so packets know where to go; every website you visit sees one for you.

Explanation

In depth

IPv4 addresses are four numbers from 0 to 255 (for example 192.0.2.1), which allows about 4.3 billion. IPv6 addresses are longer hexadecimal strings (for example 2001:db8::1) with room for vastly more. Your home router has one public address from your ISP and gives devices private ones such as 192.168.x or 10.x behind it. Websites see the public address and look it up in geolocation and network databases to guess your country, city and provider. That is how they apply country rules. Addresses run short: IANA handed out the last free IPv4 blocks in February 2011, and Europe's registry RIPE NCC ran out in November 2019. Many people now share one address. A web proxy changes which address the site sees. Through AnyProxy the destination sees the proxy server's address in the region you chose, not yours. Cloudflare's trace page, opened through each free region on 15 October 2026, printed an ip= line and placed the visitor in SG, DE or US accordingly. We hide that line in screenshots because it is a proxy exit address. Shared proxy addresses also explain why some sites show more CAPTCHAs or block datacenter ranges outright.

In practice

IP address in the real world

A private address can also be a censorship tool. On 14 Oct 2026 an OONI probe on Iran's Mobinnet asked for vimeo.com and was answered with 10.10.34.36. That address sits in the 10.0.0.0/8 private range, which is not routed on the internet, so the browser has nowhere to go. Through AnyProxy the opposite happens: the site sees a real public address in the region you picked. The trace page reported loc=SG, DE or US to match.

Sources: RIPE NCC — IPv4 run-out (2019) · OONI measurement: vimeo.com on Mobinnet AS50810, 14 Oct 2026 (DNS answer 10.10.34.36) · Cloudflare trace page used in the tests

We checked

What a site sees instead of your address (15 Oct 2026, IP line hidden)

Cloudflare trace page opened through AnyProxy Singapore, listing colo=SIN, loc=SG, http=http/2, tls=TLSv1.3 and sni=plaintext, with the IP line hidden

Open Cloudflare's diagnostic page one.one.one.one/cdn-cgi/trace through the Singapore region

Worked · SG exit · 2026-10-15

Page loaded as plain text: colo=SIN, loc=SG, tls=TLSv1.3, http=http/2, sni=plaintext, kex=X25519MLKEM768. The ip= line (the proxy's exit address) was hidden before the screenshot.

Cloudflare trace page opened through AnyProxy Frankfurt, listing colo=FRA, loc=DE, http=http/2, tls=TLSv1.3 and sni=plaintext, with the IP line hidden

Open Cloudflare's diagnostic page one.one.one.one/cdn-cgi/trace through the Frankfurt region

Worked · FR exit · 2026-10-15

Page loaded as plain text: colo=FRA, loc=DE, tls=TLSv1.3, http=http/2, sni=plaintext, kex=X25519MLKEM768. The ip= line (the proxy's exit address) was hidden before the screenshot.

Questions about IP address

What IP address does a website see through a proxy?
The proxy server's address in the region you chose, not your own. The site locates you in that region's country.
Why do I get more CAPTCHAs through a proxy?
Many people share each proxy address, and it belongs to a datacenter network. Sites see unusual volume from it and ask for extra checks, or sometimes block it.
What is a private IP address?
One from ranges such as 10.x, 172.16-31.x or 192.168.x, used inside home and office networks and never routed on the public internet.

Related terms

IP blockingIP blocking stops traffic to particular server addresses, so a site stays unreachable even when its name is looked up correctly.ASN (Autonomous System Number)An ASN (autonomous system number) is the ID of one independently run network on the internet, such as an ISP, a cloud provider or a big company, used to route traffic between networks.SubnetA subnet is a block of consecutive IP addresses that share the same starting bits, written like 208.65.152.0/22, and routed or filtered as one unit.ISP (Internet Service Provider)An ISP (internet service provider) is the company that connects you to the internet, gives you a public IP address, routes your traffic and usually carries out national blocking orders.

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