Encyclopedia / Domain & network
IP address
The numeric address of a machine on the internet.
IPv4 looks like 76.76.21.21, and IPv6 like 2606:4700::6810:84e5. With a CDN, one IP can lead to hundreds of servers worldwide (anycast), and the network routes you to the closest one.
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Where it shows up in a page load
- Step 2: DNS lookup. The browser asks a DNS resolver, the internet's phone book, for example.com. The resolver follows the chain from the root servers to the domain's nameservers and returns an IP address. The answer is cached so the next visit skips this step.
Watch the full request journey →
More in Domain & network
How a name like example.com turns into a secure connection to a real machine.