🌐 What's My IP?
Instantly see your public IP address, location, and ISP information.
About Public IP Addresses
This tool automatically detects your public IP address by leveraging the same infrastructure used by the IP Lookup tool. When the page loads, an HTMX-triggered request sends your connection information to our backend, which then queries the ip-api.com geolocation service to retrieve data about your IP. The service returns structured information including your public IPv4 and/or IPv6 address, country, region, city, ZIP code, latitude and longitude coordinates, timezone, ISP name, organization, and AS number. The detection happens automatically on page load without requiring any manual action — the HTMX hx-trigger="load" attribute fires the request as soon as the page renders. The result is displayed directly in the page using HTMX's HTML swap mechanism, replacing the loading spinner with the formatted IP information card.
Your public IP address is the single address that the entire internet sees when you connect to any website or online service. It is assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and is fundamentally different from your private IP address, which is used only within your local network. The relationship between public and private IPs is managed by Network Address Translation (NAT), a technique implemented in your router that allows multiple devices on your local network to share a single public IP address. When you connect to a website, your router replaces the private source IP (typically 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x) with your public IP in the outgoing packet headers, and reverses the translation for incoming responses. ISPs may assign static IPs (which never change) or dynamic IPs (which are reassigned periodically, sometimes every time you reconnect). The IP detection also identifies whether your connection is IPv4, IPv6, or dual-stack, and can detect mobile carrier networks, corporate proxies, and VPN services based on the network characteristics of the IP.
Common Use Cases
Users setting up VPN connections verify that their VPN is working correctly by checking whether the detected IP matches the VPN exit node rather than their ISP-assigned address. Remote workers configure firewall rules and port forwarding on their home networks by first identifying their public IP, which may change periodically if their ISP assigns dynamic addresses. Developers setting up SSH access, web servers, or game servers on their home network need their public IP to configure client connections and DNS records. IT support teams use IP detection to help troubleshoot connectivity issues — the ISP and location data can reveal whether traffic is being routed correctly. Security-conscious users periodically check their IP to understand what information is visible to websites they visit and to verify that their privacy tools are functioning as expected.
Security & Privacy Considerations
Your public IP address is inherently visible to every server you connect to — it is included in every HTTP request header and is required for internet communication to function. This tool simply shows you what servers already know about your connection. The lookup queries ip-api.com from our server, and while the response contains your IP data, our server does not store this information after returning the result. Be aware that your public IP can be used for approximate geolocation (typically city-level accuracy for fixed connections) and can reveal your ISP. If you are using a VPN, the detected IP will be the VPN exit node's address, not your real ISP-assigned IP — this confirms your VPN is working. To change your visible IP, you can use a VPN service, connect through a proxy, or contact your ISP about changing your dynamic IP assignment. Using Tor or a reputable VPN prevents websites from seeing your true IP address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is my IP different from what I expected?
Your ISP may assign dynamic IPs that change periodically, especially after router reboots. VPNs route traffic through exit nodes that have different IPs. Carrier-grade NAT (used by some ISPs for IPv4) shares a single public IP among multiple customers, so your visible IP may differ from your neighbor's.
Q: Does this work behind a VPN?
Yes, the tool shows the VPN exit node's IP address rather than your real ISP-assigned IP. This is the expected behavior and confirms your VPN is working correctly. If you see your real IP instead of the VPN's, your VPN connection may have dropped or is not routing all traffic.
Q: Why is the location wrong?
IP geolocation maps to network infrastructure, not your physical address. The coordinates typically point to your ISP's data center or regional aggregation point, which may be in a different city or state. Mobile carriers often route traffic through central switching facilities that are far from the subscriber's actual location.
Q: What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
IPv4 addresses are 32-bit numbers (e.g., 192.168.1.1) providing approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses, which are nearly exhausted. IPv6 addresses are 128-bit numbers (e.g., 2001:db8::1) providing virtually unlimited address space. Most modern devices support both simultaneously (dual-stack), though IPv6 adoption varies by ISP and region.