VPN basics · Plain-English answer
An IP address is a numerical label that identifies a device or connection on a network, similar to a postal address for internet traffic. It lets data find its way to you. Public IP addresses are visible to every website you visit and reveal your rough location and internet provider.
The internet moves data in small packets, and every packet needs a destination. IP addresses provide that. When you request a web page, your request carries your public IP address so the server knows where to send the response. Without an address, two computers simply cannot exchange data.
There are two versions in use today. IPv4 addresses look like 203.0.113.42 and are in short supply, while IPv6 addresses are much longer and were introduced because the world ran out of IPv4 space.
A public IP address tells websites which internet provider you use and roughly where you are, usually to city level. Advertisers and analytics services use it as one signal among many to profile visitors, and it stays fairly stable over time on most home connections.
You can see exactly what your connection exposes with the lookup at /tools/my-ip/. A VPN replaces this address with one shared by many users, which is the main way people limit what their IP gives away.
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