Every website functions because of a web server. It is responsible for storing, processing, and displaying website content when a user requests it. Think of a web server as a supercomputer program that is always connected to the internet.
Like the DNS and how it works, the web server has a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address that allows it to communicate with other servers (computers) on the internet.
The web server transmits website information such as images and texts to the user through the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
Besides using the HTTP, web servers also use SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) to transfer emails and the FTP (File Transfer Protocol), to transfer files.
If you’re hosting your website with us but registered your domain with another registrar, you’ll need to know your web server address to point your domain name to our server.
That said, let’s discuss how you can find your server address.
How do I Find my Web Server Address?
The server address is an external IP address that connects your computer to the Internet Service Provider (ISP), enabling access to various domains worldwide.
You can, however, use your website IP address to configure the DNS records.
We’ll explore where you can find your server address in a bit.
Welcome Email
After you sign up for a ScalaHosting account, you will receive a Welcome Email that contains a lot of useful information, including your server’s IP address.
If you can’t find your welcome email, contact us so that we can help you as fast as possible.
SPanel
If you use SPanel, you’ll find the server’s IP address under the “General Information.” section in the User Interface. The address is also available in the Admin Interface.
To see advanced information on your database and web server PHP configuration, go to phpMyAdmin under Databases.
You wouldn’t need to edit your name servers or DNS records if you purchased your hosting and domain from us.
However, if you have a different registrar and want to host your site with us, you must change your nameservers to point the domain or edit the DNS records to make it resolve to the IP address shown above.
How do I Find my DNS Server Address
A DNS server translates domain names into IP addresses. You can look up your DNS server address through a simple command prompt.
- On your computer, simultaneously press the Windows icon and the R key.
- In the box, type in cmd, and hit the OK button. You’ll get something like this:
- Type ipconfig/all at the command prompt, then click Enter.
- This will bring up a list of characters. Scroll down to Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi — you’ll find your DNS server address next to the DNS Servers label.
Alternatively, you can use a DNS lookup tool to get advanced information about your DNS server.
How do I Find my Localhost Server Address?
Localhost, in computer networking, refers to a computer running a particular program.
For instance, if you’re running a staging site or a web browsing application on your computer, then your computer is the localhost because it supports the execution of that program.
Localhost essentially means “the computer I’m working on,” where “computer” means the specific program you’re running and not the physical computer.
The localhost always performs a loopback to the same device — making it your internal IP address. On the contrary, your current IP address is the external IP address that your ISP or router assigns to you.
Your computer, therefore, can have two or three “local addresses” assigned by your router, but only one localhost address.
You’ll need to know your localhost server address when working with WordPress to configure access to your WordPress database. This could happen when you’re manually editing your database credentials at the wp-config.php file or working with a plugin.
Beyond this, you’ll need a “localhost” server address when you’re transferring files through an FTP client to develop a staging site on your local computer.
There are several ways to access your localhost server address, but here’s the easiest way to go about it.
Windows
When using Windows you need to follow the steps below :
- Press the Windows icon and R button simultaneously to open the Run box.
- Type in cmd in the Run box. Next, type ipconfig in the Windows Command Prompt, and click OK.
- Your localhost server address is beside the IPv4 Address label, under the Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi.
Mac
When using Mac we suggest you to follow the steps below :
- Click on the Apple icon on your desktop.
- Open System Preferences
- Click Network.
- Select Wi-Fi or Ethernet — depending on your connection — you should see a green dot if it’s active.
- On the right, you’ll see “Wi-Fi is connected to… and has the IP address…” The number there is your localhost server address.
That’s it! If you encounter any issues following this tutorial, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team.
See why Joomla Co-Founder Brian Teeman moved all his websites to ScalaHosting…
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