Can websites be accessed by their IP address instead of their domain name like google.com? How can I find out the IP address of a website? Is there a reason why this may not be possible?

It is possible to access a website using its IP address, although there are some limitations. When sending an http request to http://ip-address/uri, the server will receive a request with the Host: ip-address header. If the server is configured to issue a "default" host, then you will receive data from this resource.

However, it is important to note that multiple virtual hosts can be served on one server, all listening to the same interface. In such cases, the server determines which virtual host to serve by looking at the domain from the Host header. Therefore, relying solely on the IP address to access a website may not always work. It's important to keep this in mind when accessing websites via their IP addresses, as well as to ensure that any security issues are addressed.

Accessing a website using its IP address is theoretically possible, as demonstrated by the example http://64.235.161.94 (which currently resolves to Google). However, there are several nuances to consider that may cause issues:

Firstly, the site may check the host itself and not respond to the IP address instead of the domain name.

Secondly, there may be multiple sites hosted on the same IP address, with the choice between them based on the host. In this case, the server may give an error or display the page of the hosting owner.

Lastly, when using secure protocols such as HTTPS, the certificate is issued for a domain name, not an IP address. This means that browsers will recognize the certificate as invalid when accessing a site via its IP address.

It's important to consider these factors when attempting to access a website using its IP address, and to take necessary precautions to ensure security and avoid issues.

To ensure security and reliability, it is recommended to order a domain name from reputable and verified domain name registrars.

Once you have obtained a domain name, you can register an "A" entry in the domain settings on the registrar's website, specifying the IP address of your server. It is important to note that the IP address should be specified without a port. Domain delegation typically takes place within 72 hours, but may occur faster.

Connecting to your game server by domain name is possible if the server uses a standard port. In such cases, simply enter the domain name in place of the IP address when connecting to the server in-game. However, if your game server uses a non-standard port, this port should be specified when connecting. For Minecraft servers, the standard port is 25565. In other cases, be sure to specify the correct port after the domain name.

remember that the specific domain name and port for your server will depend on your individual setup. Therefore, it is essential to double-check and confirm these details before attempting to connect to your server.

 I can tell you that websites can indeed be accessed by their IP address instead of their domain name. Every website has an IP address associated with it, which is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network.

To find out the IP address of a website, there are several methods you can use. One simple way is to use the command prompt on your computer. Just open the command prompt and type "nslookup website.com" (replace "website.com" with the actual domain name) and hit enter. This will display the website's IP address.

Another method is to use online tools such as "ping" or "traceroute" which can help you find out the IP address of a website.

However, there are reasons why accessing a website by its IP address may not always be possible or practical. One reason is that some websites are hosted on shared servers. This means that multiple websites share the same IP address. In such cases, accessing a website by its IP address may not be direct or accurate.


Accessing a website by its IP address may not always be straightforward due to various factors.

1. Shared Hosting: Many websites are hosted on shared servers, where multiple websites share the same IP address. This is a cost-effective hosting solution, but it means that accessing a website by its IP address doesn't guarantee direct access to the desired website, as there may be multiple websites associated with the same IP address.

2. Load Balancing and Redundancy: To improve performance and reliability, websites often utilize load balancing and redundancy across multiple servers. This means that a single website could be hosted on several servers with different IP addresses. Accessing the website directly by IP address may not account for this distributed setup.

3. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): CDNs are commonly used to deliver web content efficiently, especially for global audiences. They work by distributing content across multiple servers and serving it from the server closest to the user's location. As a result, a website's content may be served from different IP addresses based on the user's geographic location, making direct access by IP address impractical.

4. SSL Certificates: With the widespread adoption of HTTPS, many websites use SSL certificates to encrypt data transmitted between the user's browser and the web server. SSL certificates are typically bound to domain names, so accessing a website by its IP address may lead to SSL certificate errors.

While it is possible to access websites by their IP addresses, the complexities of modern web hosting, including shared hosting, load balancing, CDNs, and SSL certificates, can make this approach less reliable and less practical than accessing websites by their domain names. For most users, accessing websites by domain name remains the recommended and preferred method.