"What is my IP?" sounds trivial until you need the answer for something concrete: whitelisting your office in a firewall, telling a provider which address is blocked, checking that a VPN really changed your exit point, or figuring out why a mail server sees a different address than you expected. Your device cannot tell you, because the address it has is usually private and only valid on your local network.
The My IP page shows the public address your connection uses on the internet and, in the same view, who that address belongs to, which network routes it, its reverse DNS name and an approximate location. It runs automatically when the page opens, so the answer is there without typing anything.
What is a public IP address?
In simple terms
Every device that talks on the internet needs an address that other systems can send replies to. At home or in an office, many devices share one public address: the router gives each device a private address and rewrites outgoing traffic so it appears to come from the router's public address. Websites only ever see that public address. "My IP" is therefore not a property of your laptop but of the connection it is using right now.
Technical background
IPv4 addresses are 32-bit numbers written as four decimal octets (for example 203.0.113.45); IPv6 addresses are 128-bit and written in hexadecimal groups (for example 2001:db8:4f::1). Several ranges are reserved and never routed on the public internet: the private ranges 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12 and 192.168.0.0/16 from RFC 1918, carrier-grade NAT space 100.64.0.0/10 from RFC 6598, link-local, loopback, documentation and multicast ranges, and IPv6 unique-local fc00::/7 and link-local fe80::/10.
Network Address Translation (NAT) maps private addresses to a public one. With carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), the provider adds a second NAT layer, so many customers share a single public IPv4 address. IPv6 usually removes NAT: each device can have its own globally routable address, often with randomized "privacy" interface identifiers that change over time (RFC 8981).
Public address space is distributed by IANA to five Regional Internet Registries (ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC, AFRINIC), which record the holder of each block. Separately, the network that actually announces the block in BGP is identified by its Autonomous System Number. Those two are often, but not always, the same organization.
Why use My IP?
- Firewall and allow-list rules. Cloud security groups, SSH allow-lists and admin panels often restrict access by source IP. You need the exact address your traffic leaves from.
- Checking a VPN or proxy. If the page still shows your provider's network, the VPN is not carrying your browser traffic.
- Support cases. Providers, hosting companies and blocklist operators ask for your public IP and sometimes its reverse DNS name.
- Detecting CGNAT. If the registry owner and BGP network are your mobile or broadband provider and port forwarding never works, you may be behind carrier-grade NAT.
- Understanding IPv6 rollout. Seeing an IPv6 address confirms your connection and browser actually use IPv6 end to end.
Who should use it?
- System administrators preparing allow-lists or firewall rules for remote access.
- Network engineers verifying which egress path, NAT pool or VPN concentrator a site uses.
- Help desk staff collecting details from a user who reports being blocked.
- Developers testing geo-dependent or IP-restricted features.
- Anyone checking that a VPN or privacy service is actually in use.
How My IP works
A browser has no API that reveals the public address of its connection, so the answer has to come from a server that receives your request. When the page loads, it calls the NetTools.tech API in "self" mode. The site is delivered through Cloudflare and a reverse proxy; the proxy restores the original client address, and the server reads it as the source of your request.
If that address is public, the server looks it up exactly like IP Lookup does, combining several independent sources:
- Registry (RDAP). The IANA RDAP bootstrap registry tells the server which regional registry is responsible for the address. It then reads that registry's RDAP record over HTTPS for the holder organization, network name, handle, range, CIDR blocks, registration and update dates and the abuse contact. Names of individual people are not displayed, only organizations and role mailboxes.
- Routing (BGP). The server queries Team Cymru's IP-to-ASN mapping service over DNS (TXT records under
origin.asn.cymru.comororigin6.asn.cymru.com) for the origin ASN, the announced prefix and the AS name. DNS queries go to the public resolvers 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8. - Reverse DNS. A PTR lookup through the same resolvers returns the hostname, if one is configured.
- Location. The address is matched against a local copy of the DB-IP "IP to City Lite" database stored on the server, so no geolocation request goes to a third party.
Each section succeeds or fails on its own: if the registry is slow or rate limiting, routing and reverse DNS are still shown, and the failed card says it is unavailable. The browser waits up to 25 seconds before showing a timeout. Like other server-side tools, requests are rate limited per client.
From the command line, the same building blocks are a reverse DNS query and a Team Cymru TXT query with the octets reversed:
dig -x 203.0.113.45 +short
dig +short TXT 45.113.0.203.origin.asn.cymru.comHow to use the NetTools.tech My IP tool
- Open My IP. The lookup starts immediately; there is no form to fill in.
- Read the large address at the top. The badges show whether it is IPv4 or IPv6 and mark it as "Your connection".
- Use the Copy button next to the address (or next to the handle, CIDR, prefix or hostname) to paste values into a ticket or firewall rule.
- Follow the ASN link to ASN Lookup for details of the announcing network, or use the links under "Reputation & related checks" to open MultiRBL Check or Open Resolver Check with your address prefilled.
- To look up a different address, open IP Lookup, which uses the same report with an input field.
If you prefer a terminal, /myip in the NetTools terminal prints your address, its version, address scope and reverse DNS name.
Understanding the results
| Result | Meaning | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| IP address and IPv4/IPv6 badge | The source address of your request as seen by the NetTools server | Only one address is shown: the protocol your browser used for this request |
| Regional Internet Registry | The RIR responsible for the block (ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC, AFRINIC) | Matches the region where the block was assigned, not necessarily where you are |
| Organization / Network name / Handle / Type | Holder of the address block from the RDAP record | Your ISP, mobile carrier, employer or VPN provider |
| Range and CIDR | The registered block that contains your address | Useful for allow-lists that cover a whole provider range (use with care) |
| Registered / Updated | Dates from the registry record | Recent changes can explain why older geolocation data is wrong |
| ASN, AS organization, Announced prefix | The network that announces your address in BGP (Team Cymru) | A note appears when the announcing network differs from the registered holder |
| Approximate location, Coordinates, Continent | DB-IP Lite estimate for the address block, with source and database date | City level at best; describes the provider's network, not your device |
| Registration country / Routing data country | Country in the registry record, and the routing data country if it differs | Neither is a physical location |
| Anycast note | Shown for networks known to use anycast (for example large CDN and DNS providers) | One address served from many places; a single city is misleading |
| Abuse contact | Role contact and email from the registry record | Where to report abuse originating from this range |
| Reverse DNS | PTR hostname(s), or "No PTR record" | Provider naming often hints at the access type or region |
Example: checking a VPN exit address
The values below are illustrative and use documentation addresses and a documentation ASN, not real data.
Before connecting the VPN, the page shows:
203.0.113.45 IPv4 · Your connection
Regional Internet Registry: RIPE NCC
Network owner: Example Broadband Ltd · EXAMPLE-BB-NET · 203.0.113.0/24
Routing (BGP): AS64500 · Example Broadband · 203.0.113.0/24
Reverse DNS: dsl-203-0-113-45.example.net
Location: Riga, Riga, Latvia (approximate)After connecting, the address, owner and ASN all change to the VPN provider's network:
198.51.100.23 IPv4 · Your connection
Network owner: Example VPN Hosting · 198.51.100.0/24
Routing (BGP): AS64501 · Example Hosting
Reverse DNS: No PTR record
Location: Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany (approximate)If the second lookup still shows AS64500, the browser is not using the tunnel (split tunneling, a proxy setting, or the VPN only handling IPv4 while the browser uses IPv6).
Common use cases
- Copying the current office or home address into a cloud firewall rule before connecting to a management interface.
- Confirming that traffic exits through the expected NAT gateway or VPN concentrator after a network change.
- Giving an email or hosting provider the exact address and PTR name when a connection is refused.
- Checking whether your address appears on a DNS blocklist via the MultiRBL link.
- Spotting CGNAT on a connection where inbound port forwarding never works.
Troubleshooting
The page says my connection is not a public address
The server only looks up globally routable addresses. This message appears when the request arrives from a private or special-use address, which normally only happens on internal test setups or unusual proxy chains. On a normal internet connection you should always see a public address.
The address changes between visits
Dynamic addresses change on reconnect or lease renewal, and mobile networks can switch addresses frequently. With IPv6 privacy extensions, the interface part of the address rotates on purpose. If you need a stable address for allow-lists, ask your provider for a static IP or allow-list the provider range only if you accept the risk.
I expected IPv4 but got IPv6 (or the reverse)
Browsers prefer IPv6 when both work ("Happy Eyeballs", RFC 8305). A firewall rule written for your IPv4 address will not match IPv6 traffic. Add both, or check what the target service actually receives.
The location or owner looks wrong
Registry data describes the holder of the block; geolocation is a database estimate. Address blocks are sold, leased and re-routed, and databases lag behind. Compare the BGP network with the registry holder: if they differ, the block is probably leased or routed by another provider.
Some cards say "Unavailable"
One source did not answer in time or rate-limited the request. The other sections are still valid. Try again a little later.
Common mistakes
- Using the private address from
ipconfigorip addrin an external firewall rule. External systems never see it. - Assuming the address is permanent and hard-coding it into allow-lists without a plan for when it changes.
- Treating the location as your physical position, or the registration country as the country you are in.
- Forgetting that a VPN, corporate proxy or browser privacy relay changes the address the server sees.
- Allow-listing only IPv4 while the browser connects over IPv6.
Limitations
- The server sees only the address of the connection that reached it. It cannot detect your device's private address, other devices behind the same NAT, or your second address family.
- Behind CGNAT or a VPN, the address is shared with other users; registry, routing and reverse DNS data describe the shared network.
- Geolocation comes from DB-IP Lite, refreshed monthly. It is approximate and can be wrong, especially for mobile, VPN, cloud and anycast networks.
- RDAP records contain what the holder registered. Some ranges have sparse records or no abuse contact.
- Team Cymru data reflects global BGP announcements; an address that is not announced shows no routing data.
Security & privacy
Your public address is not secret: every website you visit receives it. To answer the request, the NetTools server contacts the IANA-listed RDAP servers and public DNS resolvers with your address; those services see the NetTools server, not you. The geolocation database is local, so no third party receives a location query.
As described in the privacy policy, the server records a short tool log entry with the tool name, the target and your IP address shortened to its network (IPv4 /24, IPv6 /48), deleted after 30 days. Rate-limit counters keep the full address in memory only briefly. Lookup results are returned to your browser and not stored. The page does not ask you to enter anything, and you should never need to give credentials to find your own IP.
Related tools
- IP Lookup – the same report for any public IPv4 or IPv6 address. Guide: IP Lookup guide.
- IP Geolocation – focus on the approximate location and map. Guide: IP Geolocation guide.
- ASN Lookup – details of the network that routes your address. Guide: ASN Lookup guide.
- Reverse DNS – PTR record of any address. Guide: Reverse DNS guide.
- User Agent – what your browser itself reports. Guide: User Agent guide.
- More identity tools: My Info & Identity tools.
Summary
My IP shows the public address your connection uses, as seen by the NetTools server, together with its registry holder, BGP origin, reverse DNS and an approximate DB-IP location. It answers one connection at a time, so VPNs, proxies, NAT and IPv4/IPv6 preference all change the result. Use it to get the exact address for allow-lists and support cases, and treat the location as an estimate of the provider's network, never of your device.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my public IP different from the IP in my network settings?
Most devices have a private address such as 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x that only exists on the local network. The router translates it (NAT) to the public address your provider assigned, and that public address is what websites and the NetTools server see.
Why does the page show an IPv6 address instead of IPv4 (or the other way round)?
Your browser reaches the site over one protocol at a time, and on dual-stack connections it usually prefers IPv6. The page shows the address of the connection that actually reached the server; it does not list both.
Can someone find my home address from my IP?
Not from public data. Registries record the organization that holds the address block, and geolocation databases estimate a city or region of the provider's network. Only your provider can map an address to a subscriber, and it normally does so only on legal request.
Why does the location show the wrong city?
The location comes from the DB-IP Lite database and describes where the provider's address block is used, often a network hub or the provider's headquarters. Mobile networks, VPNs, carrier-grade NAT and anycast services are frequently placed in a different city or even country.
Does my IP address change?
Many residential and mobile connections receive a dynamic address that changes when the router reconnects or after a lease expires. Business lines and servers usually have static addresses; your provider can tell you which you have.
Why does the page say my connection is not a public address?
The lookup only runs for globally routable addresses. If the server sees a private, carrier-grade NAT, loopback or other special-use address, there is no registry owner or routing data to show, so the page explains that instead of returning made-up data.
Does a VPN change what this page shows?
Yes. With a VPN or proxy active, the server sees the exit address of the VPN provider, so the owner, ASN, reverse DNS and location all describe the VPN network rather than your own provider.