A Guide to IPv4 Address Representations

Translate any IPv4 address from its familiar dotted-decimal format into the various numerical systems used by software and hardware. Our tool instantly provides the integer, hexadecimal, and binary equivalents for any IPv4 address, making it an essential utility for developers, database administrators, and network engineers who work with IP addresses at a low level.

About the IPv4 Converter Tool

While humans interact with IPv4 addresses in the easy-to-read dotted-decimal format (e.g., 192.168.1.1), computers and software often need to handle them in different numerical bases. This IPv4 Converter provides seamless, client-side translation between these formats. It's particularly useful for tasks like storing IP addresses efficiently in databases, performing numerical comparisons for geolocation or network filtering, and for low-level network programming or packet analysis.

How the Converter Works and How to Use the Results

This tool is designed for quick and accurate conversions.

Using the Converter

1. Enter an IPv4 Address: Type a valid dotted-decimal IPv4 address into the input field.
2. Click "Convert IPv4": The tool will instantly process the address.
3. Review the Conversions: The results table will populate with the address represented in several key formats.

Understanding the Output Formats

• Integer (Decimal): The entire 32-bit IP address represented as a single base-10 number. Ideal for efficient database storage and mathematical range checking.
• Hexadecimal: The 32-bit address shown as a base-16 number, often prefixed with `0x`. This is common in memory dumps and low-level programming.
• Binary: The full 32-bit representation, showing the raw 1s and 0s. This is fundamental for understanding subnetting and bitwise network operations.
• IPv6 Mapped Address: A special format used in dual-stack environments to represent an IPv4 address within an IPv6 structure, allowing for easier transition and compatibility.

The Technical Details of IPv4 Address Formats

An IPv4 address is fundamentally a 32-bit number. The different formats are simply different ways of representing this same underlying value.

From Dotted-Decimal to Binary

The human-readable format consists of four 8-bit numbers called octets. To get the binary representation, each octet is simply converted to its 8-digit binary equivalent.

Example: 192.168.1.10

• 192 = 11000000
• 168 = 10101000
• 1 = 00000001
• 10 = 00001010

Combining these gives the full 32-bit binary string: 11000000.10101000.00000001.00001010

From Binary to Integer and Hexadecimal

Once you have the 32-bit binary number, converting it to other bases is a standard mathematical process.

• Integer: The 32-bit binary string is treated as a single number and converted to its base-10 equivalent. For 192.168.1.10, this integer value is 3,232,235,786.
• Hexadecimal: The 32-bit binary string is typically broken into eight 4-bit chunks (nibbles). Each 4-bit chunk is then converted to its corresponding single hexadecimal digit (0-9, A-F). For 192.168.1.10, this value is C0A8010A.

Endianness: Big-Endian vs. Little-Endian

When representing multi-byte numbers like a 32-bit IP integer, the order of the bytes can differ between computer systems. This is known as endianness.

• Big-Endian (Network Byte Order): The most significant byte is stored first. This is the standard for network protocols. For 192.168.1.10, the hex bytes are stored as C0 A8 01 0A.
• Little-Endian: The least significant byte is stored first. This is common in many processor architectures (like x86). The same IP would be stored as 0A 01 A8 C0.

This tool shows both representations, which is important for developers working with raw sockets or analyzing data from different system architectures.