IP Address Tools (IPv4 / IPv6 Inspector)
Inspect any IPv4 or IPv6 address: validate the format, expand IPv6 to its full 8-group form, classify by scope (private / link-local / loopback / multicast / public), and show alternate representations (decimal, hex, binary for IPv4; compressed / expanded for IPv6).
How to use the IP Address Tools (IPv4 / IPv6 Inspector)
Paste an IP address. The tool detects IPv4 vs IPv6, validates the format, and shows the classification + alternate representations. Useful for firewall debugging, log analysis, and confirming that a given address is what you think it is.
Inspecting and classifying IP addresses
An IP address carries more information than it first shows. IPv4 is 32 bits, IPv6 is 128, and both fall into scopes that change how they behave: private ranges (the RFC 1918 blocks), loopback, link-local, multicast, and globally routable public addresses. IPv6 adds its own wrinkle — the same address can be written compressed with :: or fully expanded into eight groups — which makes two identical addresses look different.
Paste any address and this validates it, classifies its scope, expands or compresses IPv6, and shows alternate representations such as decimal, hex, and binary for IPv4. To do subnet math on an address — network, broadcast, host range — use the IPv4 subnet calculator; to inspect the hardware address on the same machine, the MAC address tools.
Common use cases
- Log analysis — tell at a glance whether an address is private or public.
- Firewall debugging — confirm an address is what a rule actually matches.
- IPv6 normalisation — expand a compressed address to compare it reliably.
- Validation — catch malformed addresses before they hit config.
- Scope checks — spot loopback, link-local, or multicast addresses.