How to retrieve a client's IP address using JavaScript?

General Discussions
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1

I need to find a way to get the client’s IP address using only JavaScript, with no server-side code or SSI. I’m open to using a free third-party service or script. What’s the best method to JavaScript get IP address without involving server-side code?

2

Well, from my experience, the easiest way to javascript get ip address is to use a free external API. A solid choice I’ve used in projects is ipify. It’s incredibly simple. You just make a GET request to their API, and voilà! Here’s a basic example:

fetch('https://api.ipify.org?format=json')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log('Your IP is:', data.ip))
  .catch(err => console.error('Error fetching IP:', err));

I’ve used this in dashboards during development to log visitor info. It’s clean, reliable, and takes just seconds to implement. Totally recommend it for quick setups.

3

Definitely! If you’re looking to javascript get ip address and also gather some more detailed information, like the user’s city, region, or country, another great option is ipinfo.io. They offer a free tier with up to 50,000 requests a month (you just need to sign up for an API token). This can be a real bonus for apps that need geolocation features. Here’s an example:

fetch('https://ipinfo.io/json?token=YOUR_TOKEN_HERE')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log('IP Address:', data.ip);
    console.log('City:', data.city);
    console.log('Region:', data.region);
  })
  .catch(err => console.error('IP info fetch failed:', err));

This method provides richer data compared to ipify, so it’s a great choice if you need geolocation features integrated into your application.

4

Both of those are fantastic approaches for a public IP address, but if you’re working on something a bit more experimental and want to javascript get ip address from within the local network (like 192.168.x.x), there’s a cool (though somewhat hacky) method using WebRTC. I’ve played around with this when I needed the local IP for some specific use cases. Here’s a little code snippet:

const pc = new RTCPeerConnection({iceServers: []});
pc.createDataChannel('');
pc.createOffer().then(offer => pc.setLocalDescription(offer));

pc.onicecandidate = event => {
  if (!event || !event.candidate) return;
  const ipRegex = /([0-9]{1,3}(\.[0-9]{1,3}){3})/;
  const ip = ipRegex.exec(event.candidate.candidate)[1];
  console.log('Local IP Address:', ip);
  pc.close();
};

Just a heads up, this method only gets the local IP, and browser support for this is rapidly tightening due to privacy concerns, so it’s a bonus hack for now. It’s fun to try out, though!