How Many IPs Are in IPv4?

There are 4,294,967,296 IPv4 addresses. This is because IPv4 uses a 32-bit address space (2³² = 4,294,967,296).

Understanding IPv4 Addressing

• 32-bit Addresses: Each IPv4 address is a 32-bit number, represented as four sets of numbers separated by periods (e.g., 192.168.1.1).
• Address Space: This 32-bit structure allows for a total of over four billion unique addresses.
• Address Exhaustion: The finite number of IPv4 addresses led to address exhaustion, prompting the development of IPv6, which has a vastly larger address space.

While the total number of possible IPv4 addresses is 4,294,967,296, it's important to note that some addresses are reserved for special purposes (e.g., private networks, network addressing). This means the number of publicly routable IPv4 addresses is slightly lower. Various sources show different figures for publicly routable addresses, depending on the methodology used. However, the total potential number remains the definitive answer to the question posed.

The reference material confirms the total number of IPv4 addresses: "For IPv4, this pool is 32-bits (2³²) in size and contains 4,294,967,296 IPv4 addresses."