Look up any IPv4 or IPv6 address. Get country, city, coordinates, timezone, currency, ISP, and threat signals back as JSON. Try it on your own IP, then start free.
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An IP geolocation API is a web service that takes an IP address and returns its real-world location: country, region, city, and coordinates, plus network context like ISP, timezone, and currency. Your application sends one HTTP request and gets structured JSON back in milliseconds.
Decide before the page renders: which currency to show, which consent banner to serve, whether a login looks suspicious. The lookup runs server-side, so it works on every request with no permission prompt and no client code.
The differences come down to accuracy, refresh frequency, coverage, and latency. A geolocation API is only as good as its data: ipstack covers 2M+ locations across 200,000+ cities, refreshed continuously through ISP partnerships.
You will also see this called a geolocation web service or an ip to geolocation API. The contract is identical: send an address, get back a structured answer your code can branch on.
An IP geolocation API tells your server where a request comes from. The browser Geolocation API asks the user’s device where it is. One is permissionless and city-level, the other is consent-gated and meter-level.
| IP geolocation API | Browser Geolocation API | |
|---|---|---|
| How it locates | Maps the IP to ISP service areas | GPS, Wi-Fi, and cell signals on the device |
| Permission required | None | Explicit user consent, per site |
| Works server-side | Yes: APIs, webhooks, logs, edge | No: browser JavaScript only |
| Typical accuracy | Country to city level | Meters, when the user allows it |
| Best for | Localization, fraud checks, analytics, geo-blocking | Navigation, store finders, ride hailing |
IP geolocation maps the address ranges that internet registries allocate to ISPs onto the physical areas where those ranges serve customers. GPS plays no part: the location comes from knowing who operates an address and where they route it.
The IP geolocation glossary defines registry, ASN, CGNAT, and the rest of the vocabulary.
VPNs and proxies resolve to the exit server, and the security fields flag them for you. IPv4 and IPv6 resolve with the same fields and the same precision.
Every lookup draws on five field groups: location, time zone, currency, connection, and security. Location fields come with the free plan, paid plans add time zone, currency, and connection, and Professional+ adds security. The JSON IP API page documents the full response format field by field.
| Field | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Location | ||
| country_code / country_name | US · United States | ISO 3166-1 country of the address |
| region_code / region_name | VA · Virginia | State, province, or region |
| city / zip | Ashburn · 20149 | Resolved city and postal code |
| latitude / longitude | 39.0438 · -77.4879 | Coordinates of the area centroid |
| location.country_flag_emoji | 🇺🇸 | Flag ready for UI display |
| location.is_eu | false | EU membership, the GDPR consent trigger |
| Time zone | ||
| time_zone.id | America/New_York | IANA timezone identifier |
| time_zone.current_time | 2026-08-18T09:13:13-04:00 | Local time at the address right now |
| time_zone.gmt_offset | -14400 | Offset from GMT in seconds |
| Currency | ||
| currency.code / symbol | USD · $ | ISO 4217 currency for price display |
| currency.name / plural | US Dollar · US dollars | Names for checkout copy |
| Connection | ||
| connection.asn | 14618 | Autonomous system number |
| connection.isp | amazon.com Inc. | Operator serving the address |
| Security PROFESSIONAL+ | ||
| security.is_proxy / proxy_type | false · null | Proxy detection and classification |
| security.is_tor | false | Tor exit node flag |
| security.is_crawler / crawler_name | false · null | Bot and crawler identification |
| security.threat_level / threat_types | low · null | Aggregated risk scoring |
Each of these patterns runs on a single lookup per request.
Render the right currency and shipping terms on first paint using currency.code and country_code. The lookup runs during server-side rendering, so a shopper in Berlin sees € prices immediately. Match country_code to your price book for regional pricing, and use location.is_eu for tax wording.
A geolocation API for delivery apps answers the first operational question: do we serve this area? Resolve city and zip on arrival to pre-fill the coverage check, quote an ETA window from the regional depot, and keep delivery times in the customer's local clock with time_zone.id.
Default country, language, and timezone at signup from the IP so new users confirm instead of typing. Segment trials by region_name for your CRM, and schedule onboarding emails inside the user's working hours with time_zone.id.
Compare country_code against the billing country at checkout and route mismatches to review. Enforce licensing windows and embargo rules at the edge, and trigger consent flows when is_eu is true. For continuous IP checks in security and ops workflows, use our real-time IP lookup API.
2M+ Locations. One API Key.
Coverage across 200,000+ cities, free to start with no credit card.
One call returns location, timezone, currency, connection, and security data together. Most alternatives sell those as separate products or price tiers. With ipstack they are fields in the same JSON response.
The same endpoint serves your prototype and your production traffic, behind 99.9% uptime. When you need to enrich logs or backfill events, the bulk endpoint takes up to 50 IPs per request instead of 50 round trips.
Integrate in minutes: official SDKs, a maintained Postman collection, and copy-paste samples in every major language. Start on the free plan, 100 requests a month with no credit card, and verify the location data against your own traffic before paying anything.
