Have you ever got confused between a Dedicated IP Address and a Shared IP Address? Nothing there to be confused as in this blog post, we will be clearing your doubts regarding both the types of IP addresses. So let’s get started
What is an IP Address?
An IP Address is a numerical label allocated to each device connected to a computer network that utilizes the Internet Protocol for communication.
When you are surfing or browsing online, your IP address is the location that the web knows to transfer data back to you.
Likewise to the computer, the server on which your website is hosted also has an IP address.
Currently, there two kinds of IP addresses that are being used on the internet viz IPv4 and IPv6
The example of IPv4 address: 103.25.34.241
The example of IPv6 address: 2300:4800:1a65:28b3:4576:48c5:7025:av34
The IPv6 came into existence as IPv4 were getting exhausted
What is a Dedicated IP Address?
A dedicated IP address is the IP Address which is allotted to a domain that isn’t shared or utilized by other domains. You get dedicated IP specifically allotted to your domain by your web host or you can buy it as an add-on domain that can be bought at a small fee.
Also read: What is the difference between VPS Hosting and Dedicated Hosting?
What is a Shared IP Address?
A shared IP address is the IP address that is allotted to an address that is shared among various domains. At present, this type of IP is generally utilized by the maximum of the hosting providers. The reason is that there are various configurations for which you don’t require a dedicated IP address.
External IP Address or Proxy
You may have observed that few hosting providers or proxy servers like Cloudflare or Sucuri providing an external IP address.
The external IP address is especially utilized by web hosts that provide load balancing or services that mask or hide you behind a Web Application Firewall (WAF). It is generally the address viewed by other servers when your site connects to another server.
Let’s suppose that the exampledomain.com is mapped initially to 232.xxx.xxx.xxx however is routed via an external IP like 108.x.xx.x. This will be utilized by services that connect to your domain.
You should know that if your site links to a third-party payment processor like PayPal, you might need to provide PayPal the external IP address. Through this, they can whitelist the IP from their side.
Let’s now move ahead to see the differences among the Dedicated IP address vs Shared IP address.
What kind of IP address is best for SSL?
Currently, there’s no difference among dedicated IP addresses and shared IP addresses when it comes to SSL.
Multiple years ago, it was true that you required a dedicated IP address to encrypt your site with an SSL certificate. However, at a present maximum of the hosting providers utilize a technology defined as Server Name Indication (SNI) that enables the server to utilize several SSL certificates on a single IP address.
Additionally, you can also read this blog post on “Difference Between Web Hosting and Domain“.
What kind of IP address is best for site performance and security?
Both shared IP addresses and dedicated IP addresses are exceptional for site performance and security. However, the server on which your site is hosted matters more.
People believe that a shared IP address = a shared server, though it’s how few web hosts operate. However, several web hosts utilize shared load balancers (IP addresses) while still providing each WordPress site its own dedicated resources.
Based on your web host’s architecture, your website may actually utilize multiple IP addresses for various services. Outgoing requests from your website can also come from various dynamic IPs. If you utilize Cloudflare to route traffic to your site, yet another IP address.
As each and every site has its own dedicated resources, there is no such fear of any other website affecting your website in spite of using shared IP addresses. With Shared Servers, your website could experience or face security or performance issues if any other website on the same server experiences something such as a sudden increase in traffic or getting hacked. This is one of the major reasons we suggest you utilize a Managed WordPress Hosting instead of a shared hosting provider.
Conclusion
Most importantly, you should take a note that it is all about the server your website is hosted, not the kind of IP addresses that it uses. Concentrate on looking for a WordPress host that offers an impressive infrastructure and you will be in safe hands.