Thursday, February 12, 2015

A few years ago I decided to setup a web server using an old PC. I didn't want to pay for a static IP address and that's when i stumbled across

For those who don't know what a static IP address is, think of it this way:

Let's say I want to drive to my friend Jon's house. Now imagine i've got a gps app that allows me to put in my friend's name and it automatically figures out where their house is from my contacts and plots a course. All i have to do is remember my friend's name and type that in, the app figures out where to actually take me.

IP Address resolution works the same way. All you have to do is remember the name of the site you want to go to and computers all over the world (called nameservers) tell your computer how to get there. They look up the real (or IP) address, and take you there. Of course it all happens so quickly that when you type in, the nameservers tell your browser to go to and you never know the difference.

These nameservers know that Facebook will always point to because Facebook Inc has as a static IP. Almost all business do, because it's the easiest and usually a pretty small expense. 

But for a hobbyist who doesn't want to pay 10/month for a static IP, I get the default called Dynamic IP address. This means, that every so often (maybe once a month, maybe twice a day), my IP address will change. So if I tell the name servers to always point to (my current IP address), in one month when my IP address is changed, "" will still be pointed to the old IP and my website won't appear anymore.

That's where comes in. They allow me to dynamically update my ip address. Basically, i run a small program on my machine that listens for changes to my IP address. When it changes, the program tells to update my IP. And they take care of the rest. That way always points to my server and not some rando in Nebraksa.

The best part is that as the name implies, it's free.

If you need further proof that Comcast and Time Warner are making way too much money and you should out of principal not pay them anything extra for a static ip, here it is.


  1. I hate comcast, so I'm willing to do whatever i can do to stick it to em! Good pos!

  2. Interesting post... i have an older mac I dont use. Im wondering how much I would have to put in to operate a server. Will that drop server fees that i pay yearly to my webpage? And will my computer have to on at all times?