Mastering IP Address Manipulation with Python’s ipaddress Module

Introduction to IP Address and the ipaddress module

The internet is an indispensable part of our lives, and we use it for work, study, entertainment, and communication. But have you ever wondered how websites and devices communicate with each other over the internet?

The answer lies in IP addresses. An IP address is a unique numerical identifier assigned to every device connected to the internet, whether it’s a computer, a smartphone, a server, or a router.

It allows devices to send and receive data to each other, much like a postal address allows letters and packages to reach their destination. There are two versions of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6.

IPv4 is the older version and uses a 32-bit address format, while IPv6 is the newer version and uses a 128-bit address format. IPv6 was designed to address the shortage of IPv4 addresses and provide enhanced security and functionality.

Now, let’s talk about the ipaddress module in Python. The ipaddress module is a built-in module in Python 3 that provides classes and functions for working with IP addresses and networks.

It offers a convenient way to manipulate IP addresses in Python and perform tasks such as validating, converting, and comparing addresses.

Using the ipaddress module in Python

Creating a valid IPv4 address

To create a valid IPv4 address using the ipaddress module, you can use the ip_address() function. The function takes a string representing an IPv4 address and returns an IPv4Address object.

For example:

import ipaddress
ip = ipaddress.ip_address('192.168.0.1')
print(ip)

The output will be:

192.168.0.1

Creating a valid IPv6 address

To create a valid IPv6 address using the ipaddress module, you can use the same ip_address() function. The function takes a string representing an IPv6 address and returns an IPv6Address object.

For example:

import ipaddress
ip = ipaddress.ip_address('2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334')
print(ip)

The output will be:

2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334

Working with IP addresses in Python

Apart from creating IP addresses, the ipaddress module also provides functions for working with IP addresses in Python. Here are some examples:

• To check if an IP address is private or not, you can use the is_private() function.
• It returns True if the IP address is a private address, otherwise, it returns False.

import ipaddress
ip = ipaddress.ip_address('192.168.0.1')
print(ip.is_private())

The output will be:

True

• To check if an IP address is global or not, you can use the is_global() function. It returns True if the IP address is a global address, otherwise, it returns False.

import ipaddress
ip = ipaddress.ip_address('192.168.0.1')
print(ip.is_global())

The output will be:

False

Reverse IP Lookups

A reverse IP lookup is a technique that enables you to determine the domain name associated with an IP address. You can perform a reverse IP lookup using the reverse_pointer() function in the ipaddress module.

The function takes an IP address as input and returns the domain name associated with the IP address using DNS.

import ipaddress
ip = ipaddress.ip_address('8.8.8.8')
print(ip.reverse_pointer())

The output will be:

dns.google

Working with IP Networks using the ipaddress module

The ipaddress module also provides classes for working with IP networks in Python. An IP network is a range of IP addresses that share a common prefix and netmask.

Here are some examples:

• To create an IPv4 network, you can use the IPv4Network() class. The class takes an IP address and a netmask as input and returns an IPv4Network object.

import ipaddress
network = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/24')
print(network)

The output will be:

192.168.0.0/24

• To create an IPv6 network, you can use the IPv6Network() class. The class takes an IPv6 address and a prefix length as input and returns an IPv6Network object.

import ipaddress
network = ipaddress.IPv6Network('2001:db8::/64')
print(network)

The output will be:

2001:db8::/64

• To get the netmask and hostmask of an IP network, you can use the netmask and hostmask attributes of the IPv4Network or IPv6Network object.

import ipaddress
network = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/24')
print(network.netmask)
print(network.hostmask)

The output will be:

255.255.255.0
0.0.0.255

Conclusion

In conclusion, the ipaddress module in Python provides a powerful and convenient way to work with IP addresses and networks. You can use it to create and manipulate IP addresses, perform IP-related operations such as checking if an IP address is private or global, perform reverse IP lookups, and work with IP networks.

By mastering the ipaddress module, you can become a more effective Python developer and work with networking tasks more efficiently.

Basic IP functions

In addition to creating and working with IP addresses and networks, the ipaddress module in Python provides functions for verifying loopback, multicast, local links, and reserved addresses. These types of addresses are commonly used in network programming and it is important to distinguish and verify them before performing any operations.

Loopback address

The loopback address is used to send data back to the same host. In IPv4, the loopback address is 127.0.0.1, while in IPv6 it is ::1.

To check if an IP address is a loopback address, you can use the is_loopback attribute of the ipaddress object. For example:

import ipaddress
ip = ipaddress.ip_address('127.0.0.1')
print(ip.is_loopback)

The output will be:

True

Multicast address

The multicast address is used to send data to multiple hosts simultaneously. In IPv4, the multicast address range is from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255, while in IPv6 it is ff00::/8.

To check if an IP address is a multicast address, you can use the is_multicast attribute of the ipaddress object. For example:

import ipaddress
ip = ipaddress.ip_address('224.0.0.1')
print(ip.is_multicast)

The output will be:

True

Local link

The local link address is used to send data within a local network segment, without the need for a gateway or router. In IPv4, the local link address range is from 169.254.0.0 to 169.254.255.255, while in IPv6 it is fe80::/10.

To check if an IP address is a local link address, you can use the is_link_local attribute of the ipaddress object. For example:

import ipaddress
ip = ipaddress.ip_address('169.254.0.1')
print(ip.is_link_local)

The output will be:

True

Reserved address

The reserved address range consists of IP addresses that are reserved for special purposes and cannot be assigned to devices or hosts. In IPv4, the reserved address range is from 0.0.0.0 to 0.255.255.255, and from 224.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.

In IPv6, it is defined as all addresses beginning with a binary value of 1111, such as ff00::/8. To check if an IP address is a reserved address, you can use the is_reserved attribute of the ipaddress object.

For example:

import ipaddress
ip = ipaddress.ip_address('0.0.0.0')
print(ip.is_reserved)

The output will be:

True

Working with IP Networks using the ipaddress module (contd.)

Apart from working with IP addresses, the ipaddress module in Python also provides advanced functions for working with IP networks. In the following sections, we will explore some of these functions.

Checking if an IP address is IPv4 or IPv6

To check if an IP address is IPv4 or IPv6, you can use the ipaddress.ip_network() function. The function takes an IP address as input and returns an IPv4Network or IPv6Network object.

You can then use the version attribute to determine if the IP address is IPv4 or IPv6. For example:

import ipaddress
ip4 = ipaddress.ip_network('192.168.0.1/24')
print(ip4.version)
ip6 = ipaddress.ip_network('2001:db8::/32')
print(ip6.version)

The output will be:

4
6

Identifying hosts on an IP network

To identify all the hosts on an IP network, you can use the hosts() method of the IPv4Network or IPv6Network object. The method returns a generator that generates all the host IP addresses on the network.

For example:

import ipaddress
network = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/24')
for host in network.hosts():
    print(host)

The output will be:

192.168.0.1
192.168.0.2
192.168.0.3
... 192.168.0.254

Identifying the broadcast address for networks

To identify the broadcast address for an IP network, you can use the broadcast_address attribute of the IPv4Network or IPv6Network object. The attribute returns the broadcast IP address of the network.

For example:

import ipaddress
network = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/24')
print(network.broadcast_address)

The output will be:

192.168.0.255

Identifying IP network overlaps

To identify if two IP networks overlap with each other, you can use the overlaps() method of the IPv4Network or IPv6Network object. The method takes another IPv4Network or IPv6Network object as input and returns True if the two networks overlap with each other, otherwise it returns False. For example:

import ipaddress
network1 = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/24')
network2 = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.1.0/24')
print(network1.overlaps(network2))

The output will be:

False

Subnets on IP networks

To divide an IP network into subnets, you can use the subnets() method of the IPv4Network or IPv6Network object. The method takes the new prefix length as input and returns a list of IPv4Network or IPv6Network objects that represent the subnets.

For example:

import ipaddress
network = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/24')
subnets = list(network.subnets(prefixlen_diff=4))
for subnet in subnets:
    print(subnet)

The output will be:

192.168.0.0/28
192.168.0.16/28
192.168.0.32/28
... 192.168.0.224/28

Creating supernets with the ipaddress module

To combine multiple IP networks into a supernet, you can use the ipaddress.summarize_address_range() function. The function takes a list of IP addresses or networks as input and returns a list of new IPv4Network or IPv6Network objects that represent the supernets.

For example:

import ipaddress
net1 = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/24')
net2 = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.1.0/24')
supernet = ipaddress.summarize_address_range(net1, net2)
print(supernet)

The output will be:

[IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/23')]

Checking if an IP network is a supernet/subnet of another IP network

To check if one IP network is a supernet or subnet of another IP network, you can use the is_supernet_of() or is_subnet_of() method of the IPv4Network or IPv6Network object. These methods take another IPv4Network or IPv6Network object as input and return True if the first network is a supernet/subnet of the second network, otherwise they return False. For example:

import ipaddress
net1 = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/23')
net2 = ipaddress.IPv4Network('192.168.0.0/24')
print(net1.is_supernet_of(net2))
print(net2.is_subnet_of(net1))

The output will be:

True
True

Working with IPv4Interface objects

The IPv4Interface object in the ipaddress module represents a network interface of a device with an IPv4 address. It provides attributes and methods to work with the IP address and network mask of the interface in prefix notation, netmask and hostmask form, and other information.

For example:

import ipaddress
iface = ipaddress.IPv4Interface('192.168.0.1/24')
print(iface.ip)
print(iface.network)
print(iface.netmask)
print(iface.hostmask)

The output will be:

192.168.0.1
192.168.0.0/24
255.255.255.0
0.0.0.255

Conclusion

In this article, we have covered several basic IP functions and advanced IP network functions that can be performed using the ipaddress module in Python. These functions allow you to work with IP addresses, networks, subnets, supernets, network interfaces, prefixes, netmasks, and hostmasks in a convenient and efficient way.

By mastering these functions, you can become a more effective network programmer and handle different networking tasks with ease.

Miscellaneous Operations with IP Addresses

In addition to the basic and advanced functions covered in the previous sections, the ipaddress module in Python also provides several miscellaneous operations that can be performed with IP addresses. These operations include comparison operators, integer manipulations, and address conversions.

Let’s take a closer look at them.

Comparison operators for IP addresses

The ipaddress module supports standard comparison operators, such as ==, !=, <, <=, >, and >=, for IP addresses. When comparing two IP addresses, the module compares them in numerical order, based on their address format (IPv4 or IPv6) and the numerical value of their bits.

For example:

import ipaddress
ip1 = ipaddress.ip_address('192.168.0.1')
ip2 = ip