Dedicated IP addresses: Benefits For Your Website and VPN

What is an IP Address?

Every domain name has an IP address - thanks to it users can find the desired website. Every device, with which you go online, also has an IP address.

Basically, an IP address looked like a set of 4 numbers from 0 to 255 - for example, 142.250.184.228. That address belongs to the protocol IPv4, which determined this address type. But IPv4 limits the address space of the Internet to 4.3 billion addresses, so at the end of the 1990s specialists started to look for a solution to this problem. So that’s how the IPv6 protocol with addresses like fe80: d4a7: 6437: d3d8: d9f3b11 was created. Today IPv4 addresses are limited, and IPv6 addresses are used more often. 

How do IP addresses work? You enter the desired site name into the address bar of a browser. The browser sends a request to a DNS server, which defines the IP of this site by the domain name. After the browser gets the response and the website opens. To learn more about how DNS servers work, read this article.

Types of IP addresses

If we talk about IP addresses according to the purpose of use, internal addresses are used in a local network. For example, within the company between departments, or in a home network where there are several devices connected to the same router. External IP addresses are used to go online - to the global network.

Usually, websites have static IP addresses - they don’t change when they connect to the network. Dynamic IPs can be used if a provider has more customers than available IP addresses. So while connecting a customer gets the first available IP, but the next connection may be with another IP address.

A shared IP address can include several sites at once - from tens to hundreds. A dedicated IP is used only by one website. You can easily find advantages and disadvantages in this pair.

Dedicated IP addresses vs Shared IP

What can you expect from shared IP? As we said above, shared IP is used by several sites at once - and bad neighbors are the real problem:

• IP blocking due to low-quality content. If one of your neighbors posts low quality content on his site, he can face sanctions - IP blocking. Blocked IP means unavailability of all the sites hosted on this IP. So you will suffer too.
• DDoS attacks. Again, neighbors may be at fault. If one of the users of a shared IP will be attacked by a large number of requests (DDoS), the attack also affects your site.
• IP in the filter of email services. Irresponsible website owners can send spam to their users who, in turn, can complain about these emails. Thus IP address will be filtered by email services. So, all users of shared IP will suffer again. 

Dedicated IP Hosting Benefits

• You are the only owner of a dedicated IP addresses. One of the main benefits is that there are no bad neighbors and you don’t suffer from their problems. Reduces the risk of being blocked and getting on blacklists.
• As the IP is connected only to your domain name, to visit your site you can enter not only its name but also its IP address.
• It is considered that mailing speed via mail services is higher with dedicated IP in comparison with shared IP. This can be explained by the fact that messages with spam or viruses can come from a shared IP address, which requires additional checking by email services.
• With a dedicated IP address you can create a file transfer protocol server (FTP) for file sharing, for example, between departures of one company.
• Your personal data is more secure with a dedicated IP.

There is a wrong opinion that the dedicated IP speeds up the site (the DNS server response time is not very different for dedicated and shared IP) and affects SEO (search engines pay more attention to the quality of the site). However, in general, we can say that your project will have more advantages with a dedicated IP.

What is a Dedicated IP Address Used For?

• Dedicated IP addresses for the website.

Dedicated IP hosting benefits: there are no bad neighbors, higher speed of sending email messages, secure file transfer protocol, the ability to enter the site via IP, not just by domain. Choosing a shared IP for your own business can significantly slow down its development, so choose hosting with a dedicated IP address.

• Dedicated IP addresses for VPN.

Benefits of dedicated IP VPN:  using a dedicated IP for a VPN won't just allow you to be online anonymously, it will also give you some benefits. Only you use this IP - no bad neighbors who might steal your personal data. With a dedicated IP, you can also forget about captchas and blocking, which is usually common for a standard free VPN. A huge plus to protecting your privacy will be having your own DNS server, where all your requests will be handled without access to third parties.

How to Get a Dedicated IP Address?

If you need a dedicated IP for a website, you should choose a hosting provider that already offers hosting with a dedicated IP. By the way, if necessary, you can also buy additional IP. When placing an order you just need to select the number of addresses or buy more IPs while using the hosting.

If you decide to protect yourself and keep anonymity on the Internet, it is recommended to choose a VPN with a dedicated IP address. When you buy the service you will have your own IP address.

Summary

Every domain name by which users find the site and every device has an IP address. IPv6 addresses (e.g. fe80 : d4a7 : 6437 : d3d8 : d9f3b11) are more commonly used today than IPv4 addresses (e.g. 142.250.184.228).

The main types of IP addresses are: external and internal, static and dynamic, shared and dedicated - and all of them are used for different purposes.

Dedicated IP is great for maintaining anonymity on the Internet in tandem with a VPN and for the overall security of your site. A shared IP can bring a lot of trouble because of bad neighbors, but with a dedicated IP, you have complete control.