Bit of a random one (off-topic!) but I needed to find my IP address because I was having problems with setting up an application. My IP address keeps changing, which caused me problems. My ISP does this randomly!
Why this is a pain is that some services require a fixed IP address to access, or for it to be known to it – or if doing some techie stuff like access a remote MySQL server, you might be required to configure it with your IP. So knowing my IP address is important.
But it’s not as simple as just looking at the address of your access device (like my MacBook) – because ISPs use wizardry like ‘proxies‘ and the like, so it’s a bit more complicated than that. We need to know our Public IP Address.
Anyway, I found this neat online service that tells me my public IP address, and changes to my IP addresses:
https://www.what-is-my-ipaddress.com
It also tells me what my external hostname is, the provider I am accessing through, and what physical location I am routing through.
I’ve put it in my bookmarks because tools like these are useful. Put it in yours now – you’ll never know when you need it (and I mean really, urgently need it.)
If you’re really interested in what an ‘IP address’ is…
Unless you’re in IT, then this is a dull subject. If you are interested in knowing more, then read this post on Lifewire: What is an IP Address?
