How to Get Your IPv4 and IPv6 Address Using cURL

If you need to quickly check your public IP addresses from the command line, cURL is a powerful and convenient tool that comes pre-installed on most operating systems. This guide will show you how to use cURL to get both your IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.

Getting Your IPv4 Address

To check your public IPv4 address using cURL, you can use this simple command:


curl -4 ip.network

This command will return your IPv4 address in plain text format. Alternatively, you can use other IP checking services:


curl -4 ifconfig.me
curl -4 icanhazip.com
curl -4 ipinfo.io/ip

Getting Your IPv6 Address

If you want to check your IPv6 address, simply use the -6 flag instead:


curl -6 ip.network

Or try these alternatives:


curl -6 ifconfig.me
curl -6 icanhazip.com

Getting Detailed IP Information

For more detailed information about your IP address, you can use these commands:


# Get JSON format with detailed information
curl ipinfo.io

# Get specific fields
curl ipinfo.io/city
curl ipinfo.io/country

Tips and Troubleshooting

If you get a connection error with -6, your system or network might not support IPv6
Add the -s flag (e.g., curl -4s ip.network) to suppress the progress meter
Use curl -4 -L ip.network if you need to follow redirects

Conclusion

These cURL commands provide a quick and easy way to check your public IP addresses directly from the terminal. They're especially useful for scripting and automation tasks where you need to programmatically obtain your public IP address.