IP Address
Each computer connected to the Internet is assigned with at least one unique IP Address for the purposes of communication. An IP address is a 32-bit numeric address usually expressed as 4 numbers from 0-255 separated by dots, for example 192.168.0.123.
From technical viewpoint, there are 2 types of IPs:
- Shared IP address means that multiple websites share the same address. Web servers can determine by the domain entered in a user's browser which website is being requested. Typing in the IP address will bring you to some kind of generic page instead of the specific site you want.
- Dedicated IP address (also call Static IP) means that a website has its own IP address. Whether you type in your URL or the numeric form of its IP address, both will bring you to the same domain.
Due to the rapid increase of the number of registered domain names and the finite number of IP addresses, Shared Web hosting service providers are forced to use shared IP's when possible. In fact, hundreds of websites often share the same address. Dedicated IP hosting is no longer the norm and usually costs more.
Do You Need a Dedicated IP
In most case, a shared IP should be good enough for your web site. But there are a few cases that a dedicated IP is required:
- SSL certificate
SSL is needed in e-commerce website for accepting credit cards online, and data will be encrypted and transferred between web server and visitor's browser. Since the SSL protocal/encryption happens before the exchange of the HTTP header and it uses IP to identify the web site. So, in order o install a SSL certificate onto a web site or domain, the domain must be configured with a dedicated IP.
- Anonymous FTP:
Anonymous FTP is used to let visitors download files from web server through FTP without having to provide user name & password. And a domain with dedicated IP assigned will be required to enable it.
- Your Shared IP is banned from your country
As some web hosts allow the web site to publish the information related to gambling, anti-government, or porn which are forbidden by the government from some countries. They might ban the IP of those web sites. If your web site happen to be hosted in the same server, your web site will not be accessible for the visitors in that country. So, when this situation happens, you will need to buy a dedicated IP and assign to your domain to avoid it.
Summary
So, for most webmasters, you have no need to buy a dedicated IP. In case you do need to get one, this is actually quite affordable. You will only need to pay $2 per month for it. And some web host like IX Web Hosting even give you at least one for free.
