Finding Public and Private IP Addresses on macOS, Windows, and Linux¶

Understanding IP Addresses¶

Private IP Address: Used within a local network (e.g., 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x). Devices use private IPs to communicate with each other inside the same network.
Public IP Address: Assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and used to communicate with devices on the internet. It is unique across the internet.

Or, use Terminal:

ipconfig getifaddr en0  # For Wi-Fi interface
ipconfig getifaddr en1  # For Ethernet or other interfaces

Open Terminal and run:

curl ifconfig.me

Or visit a website in your browser like https://whatismyipaddress.com

Open Command Prompt (press Win + R, type cmd, press Enter).
Run the command:
```
ipconfig
```
Look under your active network adapter for the "IPv4 Address" field. This is your private IP.

Run:

nslookup myip.opendns.com resolver1.opendns.com

Alternatively, visit https://whatismyipaddress.com in a web browser.

Open a terminal and run:

ip addr show

Or a simpler command targeting active interfaces:

hostname -I

Look for the IP address associated with your network interface (e.g., eth0, wlan0).

Run the command:

curl ifconfig.me

Or use other web services:

curl icanhazip.com

Operating System	Private IP Command(s)	Public IP Command(s)
macOS	`ipconfig getifaddr en0`	`curl ifconfig.me`
Windows	`ipconfig`	`nslookup myip.opendns.com resolver1.opendns.com`
Linux	`ip addr show` or `hostname -I`	`curl ifconfig.me` or `curl icanhazip.com`

Private IPs are generally assigned by your router using DHCP.
Public IP can change based on your ISP or network.
Using terminal commands is quick, but websites make it easy if you prefer a graphical interface.
To find the IP address of a particular network interface, identify the interface name (en0, wlan0, eth0 etc.) before using commands.