- Unix command to find IP address from hostname — Linux example
- List of UNIX command to find the IP address from hostname
- 1. ifconfig command example
- 2. grep and hostname example
- 3. ping command example
- 4. nslookup command example
- How to Find or Check Your IP Address in Linux
- Find Your IP Address From the Command Line
- Using the hostname Command
- Using the ip addr Command
- Using the ifconfig Command
- Finding Your IP Address in Linux With a GUI
- How to Find Public IP Address
- What is a Public/Private IP Address?
Unix command to find IP address from hostname — Linux example
In this Unix command tutorial, we will see how to find the IP address of any host in a UNIX based system, like Linux, Solaris, or IBM AIX. In general hostname and IP address are two important things about any host in a UNIX based network. You always need either a hostname or IP address to connect to any host. Sometimes you want to find the IP address of the localhost, sometimes the IP address of another host on the network, etc. We have shown some techniques to find the IP address from hostname in UNIX and here we will see is a particular list of UNIX commands to get the IP address of local host or host on which you are working along with any other host for which we know hostname.
By the way, if you are a beginner in Linux or haven’t worked in a Linux host for a long time then I also recommend you to join these hands-on Linux courses to learn some essential Linux commands like this one to become more productive and confident Linux user.
List of UNIX command to find the IP address from hostname
1. ifconfig command example
Let’s see an example of the ifconfig command to find The IP address of localhost on which you are working :
ifconfig command shows a lot of information about various NIC cards in the system, you can check either for «inet» or «inet addr» for seeing IP address to respective NIC cards :
As I said ifconfig command shows a lot of details but I have only included relevant inet one if you have more than one network card attached to that host, you may see more than one inet the address corresponding to each of them.
The main drawback of the ifconfig command in UNIX is that you can only get the IP address of localhost from this command, you can not get the IP address of any other host. . You can further see Learn Linux in 5 Days and Level Up Your Career course on Udemy to learn more options of ifconfig command and other essential Linux commands.
2. grep and hostname example
You can combine grep command and hostname to look at IP address from /etc/hosts file. here `hostname` will return the output of the hostname command and great will then search for that word in /etc/hostname . the benefit of using `hostname` is that you can just copy and run this command on any host without typing hostname by yourself.
This is one of many great usages of grep in UNIX, see 10 ways to use the grep command in UNIX to find out why grep is one of the most useful commands in UNIX.
3. ping command example
Our plain old ping command can also be used to find the IP address of the localhost or any other host provided you know the hostname. ping is used to check whether the target server is alive or not, but while using option -s it also displays the IP address of the corresponding host as well.
# ping -s `hostname.`
PING nyk4035: 56 data bytes
64 bytes from nyk4035 ( 192.52.32.15 ) : icmp_seq = 0 . time = 0.186 ms
Ping is actually one of the 10 useful networking commands in UNIX, see that link for other commands. If you want to improve your Linux skills then I highly recommend you to learn those essential networking commands in Linux.
4. nslookup command example
nslookup is one of the primary UNIX commands to find the IP address from the hostname and again from hostname to IP address. Similar to ping you can also, use the nslookup command to find the IP address of Both localhost and remote host in any UNIX-based system. nslookup is generally available in most UNIX-based systems, like Linux, Solaris, IBM AIX, or any other UNIX system.
# nslookup `hostname`
nyk4035.unix.com canonical name = nyk4035.unix.com
Name: nyk4035.unix.com
Address: 192.52.32.15
If you want to learn more about the nslookup command other important Linux commands, I suggest you check these free online courses to learn Linux commands in-depth.
That’s all on How to find the IP address in UNIX, Linux, and other UNIX-based systems, like Solaris, IBM AIX, BSD, etc. We have seen examples of getting the IP addresses from the hostname by using ipconfig , ping , hostname, and nslookup commands. If one command is not working in your machine, you can always use another command or you can simply cross-check the IP address by using multiple UNIX commands.
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Thanks a lot for reading this article so far. If you like these Linux IP address hostname command examples then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or comments then please drop a comment.
P. S. — If you are a new Linux user and looking for some free online training courses to start your Linux journey, you should check out my list of Free Bash Scripting Courses for Programmers, IT Professionals, and System Administrators.
How to Find or Check Your IP Address in Linux
An IP address is a codename assigned to a computer on a network. It works as a postal address, ensuring that network traffic is sent to the correct computer.
In this tutorial you will learn how to find your IP address using a Linux operating system.
Find Your IP Address From the Command Line
There are a few different commands you can use to check your IP address. To run these commands, start by opening a terminal window/command line.
Using the hostname Command
One way to check your IP address from the command-line is by using the following command:
The system will display your internal IP address.
Using the ip addr Command
Check your ip address with the ip addr command:
The system will scan your hardware, and display the status for each network adapter you have. Look for an entry that says link/ether. Below it, you should see one of the following:
inet6 fe80::a00:27ff:fe76:1e71/64
The entries will include one for a wired (Ethernet) adapter and a wireless (Wi-Fi) adapter. You may also have an entry for a virtual adapter. Generally, only one entry will have an IP address listed – that is the one you will want.
Note: The number after the slash – /24 and /64 – specifies the size of the network, and it helps with scanning and mapping network size.
Using the ifconfig Command
The third method to find your IP address involves using the ifconfig command. In the command line, enter the following:
The system will display all network connections – including connected, disconnected, and virtual. Look for the one labeled UP, BROADCAST, RUNNING, MULTICAST to find your IP address. This lists both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
Note: When you check your IP address, you may notice the term loopback. This refers to an IP address that returns traffic to the same computer. Usually, the loopback address is 127.0.0.1 . If you see that address listed, either you are looking at the wrong line, or you are not connected to the network.
Read phoenixNAP’s ultimate Linux IP command tutorial with 31 examples to learn more!
Finding Your IP Address in Linux With a GUI
If you are using a point-and-click interface to run your Linux system, you can check your IP address by following these steps:
1. Go to the Application menu and type Settings into the search bar.
2. Click on the Settings icon that appears among the results, as in the image below:
3. Next, find the Network tab in the Settings Menu and click on the Advanced Wired Settings icon.
4. This opens a new pop-up window with details on wired settings. Here you can find both your IPv4 address and your IPv6 address.
How to Find Public IP Address
To find your public IP address, reach out to an external website.
If you are using a browser, navigate to:
If you are using a command-line or terminal, use a retrieval command like curl or wget to display the external IP address:
wget -O - -q https://checkip.amazonaws.com
Note: Did you know that when you use curl to connect to an insecure website, the output responds with an error? To resolve it, visit our guide on making curl ignore certificates.
What is a Public/Private IP Address?
Each computer in a network is required to have its own IP address. If two systems have the same IP address, it will generate errors on the network. Most modern networks will detect the problem and prompt you to fix it. However, older networks might get confused, trying to route traffic to both computers.
Most systems will have two different IP addresses:
- Private IP address: This is the address used on the network. Also, it is the one you will want to use for configuring routing tools. On smaller networks, the internal IP address typically starts with 192.168.x.x. It is dynamically assigned to your computer whenever you connect.
- Public IP address: This is the IP address that registers on a website when you visit it. When you connect to a small network, your computer connects to a router using an internal IP address. That router, in turn, connects to a bigger network (like an Internet Service Provider), which has its own IP address system.
Note: Learn everything you need to know about public and private IP addresses in our article Public vs. Private IP Address.
Now you know how to find a private and public IP address in Linux using multiple methods.
Each option strikes a balance between speed and complexity. Now you have the flexibility to choose, if you only need your internal IP address, you can use the hostname method. If you need more detailed information, view our article on 31 Linux IP Commands with examples.