IP stands for Internet Protocol. An IP (Internet Protocol) address is the address of a specific network hardware (computer, router, switch, hub, etc). It is necessary for connecting a computer to other devices on a network and all over the world (via the Internet).

Specific network adapters (hardware used to connect to a network) have their own addresses, called MAC addresses.

An IP Address is made up of numbers or characters. The format depends on the version of the protocol, which can be IPv4 or IPv6. So an IP address would be like this:

IPv4 201.54.112.60

IPv6 2001:db8:85a3:0:0:8a2e:370:7334

IP addresses can be:

• public or private - based on the location of the network (private being used inside a network and public outside of a network)
• static or and dynamic (static being persistently tied to a specific network or device and dynamic being temporarily assigned to a network or device)
  

A collection of IP addresses is called an IP range.

How does ClickGUARD use IP addresses?

ClickGUARD logs public IP addresses of devices making ad clicks by using the Google Ads tracking template. This allows the system to perform protective and optimization actions on Google Ads campaigns - by excluding IP addresses related to low-performing or fraudulent ad traffic.