Normalize before comparing
Convert both inputs to the same 32-bit value before deciding whether they identify different addresses. Leading zeros and hexadecimal case should not create separate inventory records.
IP Address Converter
Enter one IPv4 value in dotted decimal, integer, hexadecimal, or binary form. The conversion happens locally and shows equivalent representations without treating the result as proof that an address is assigned or reachable.
Conversion runs entirely in this browser. FirewallGuide does not receive the value you enter.
Dotted decimalUnsigned integerHexadecimalBinary
Convert one IPv4 value
Enter a dotted address, an unsigned decimal integer, a value beginning with 0x, or 32 binary digits. Dots and spaces are allowed in binary input.
Accepted integer range: 0 through 4,294,967,295
Equivalent notation does not change the address
Dotted decimal divides the 32-bit value into four eight-bit octets. Integer and hexadecimal forms encode the same bits without the familiar dots. Binary exposes every bit directly, which is useful when checking masks and network boundaries.
Keep the address category
A converted private, loopback, link-local, multicast, documentation, or reserved address remains in that category. Numeric conversion cannot make it publicly routable.
Do not infer reachability
The result does not query DNS, routing, a host, or a firewall. It only proves that the displayed forms represent the same IPv4 bits.
Use conversions as evidence, not identity
Logs, APIs, threat feeds, and older databases sometimes store IPv4 addresses as integers or hexadecimal values. Converting them can make two records comparable, but the address alone does not establish who used it, which device held it, or whether network address translation changed the observed source.
Preserve the original observation
Keep the source value beside the converted form, including the log time, system name, and field label. That record makes the transformation reviewable and prevents an analyst from treating a convenient display format as the original evidence. If a tool accepts signed integers, confirm its storage convention before changing a negative value.
Check the boundary after conversion
When the next question concerns a network range, place the normalized address into the IPv4 and IPv6 subnet calculator. Use the CIDR overlap checker when several planned ranges might collide.
Match the conversion to the investigation
| Observation | What conversion establishes | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| An integer appears in an event export | Whether it represents the same 32 bits as a dotted IPv4 address | Compare the timestamp, device, field definition, and original event in the firewall log analyzer. |
| Two inventory records use different notation | Whether the address values are equivalent | Confirm the device identifier, owner, lease history, and trust level in the network inventory builder. |
| The result is private or special purpose | The category remains unchanged after conversion | Trace routing and address translation instead of treating the value as a public host. |
- Copy the original value without removing leading zeros or prefixes.
- Record which input format the source system documents.
- Convert once, compare the 32-bit result, and retain both forms.
- Use network, device, and time evidence before attributing the address to a person or system.
Technical basis
IPv4 address syntax and special-use assignments are maintained through IETF standards and IANA registries. See RFC 791 for IPv4 and the IANA IPv4 Special-Purpose Address Registry for current category details.