Advanced Features of IP Geolocation API: IP Ranges, Bulk Lookup, and More

An IP geolocation API provides accurate geolocation data of an internet-connected electronic device based on its IP address. These APIs play a crucial role in business success by helping in targeted advertising, fraud prevention, content personalization, and more. Moreover, with advanced features of IP geolocation API businesses can automate various processes.

For example, businesses can automatically show location-specific ads to users based on their location. This significantly enhances user experience and improves the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Similarly, companies can use IP location data to segment users based on their location to understand user preferences and behavior across regions. Thus, IP geolocation APIs also help with data analytics and user behaviour analysis.

In this article, we’ll explore advanced features of IP Geolocation API, such as IP ranges, bulk lookup, and more.

Table of Contents

Key Features of IP Geolocation APIs

An IP geolocation API is essentially an application programming interface (API) that developers can integrate into websites, apps, or systems to get accurate geolocation data. These APIs basically provide location data based on the IP addresses of internet-connected electronic devices.

This means an IP geolocation API doesn’t provide the exact physical location of users. However, it can be used to estimate the geographical location of users based on the IP addresses of the devices they use to visit a website or app.

The IP geolocation data provided by an IP geolocation API include:

Continent
Country
City
Region
Zip code
Latitude and longitude coordinates.

Some APIs also offer additional features, such as:

Security Features: Detects potential proxy, VPN, or TOR usage.
Currency: Provides currency associated with the location returned against a given IP address.
Timezone: Provides timezone information associated with the location returned against a given IP address.
Hosting information: Provides ASN and the hostname of the ISP a website visitor is using.

This data is quite valuable for businesses. For instance, e-commerce companies can provide personalized shopping experiences by displaying product prices in users’ local currency. Similarly, timezone data can be used to show timings, such as sale start and end time, in users’s local time.

Advanced Features of IP Geolocation API

IP Ranges

An IP range is a continuous block or range of consecutive IP addresses assigned to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or organization. For example, devices using a specific local network are under one IP range.

An IP block is usually size /24, which contains 256 IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. However, the size of an IP block can vary depending on different factors such as:

The needs of the organization
Geographical distribution
Specific allocations by the IP address provider

IP geolocation services use IP ranges to map each IP address within the range to a specific geographical location. This way, these services can determine the approximate location of an IP address.

Here are some practical use cases of IP ranges for businesses:

Geo-blocking

Businesses can determine the IP range of incoming requests and enforce geo-blocking policies. For example, media streaming services, online gaming platforms, and content providers often need to restrict access to certain content based on geographical regions.

Enhanced Security

Businesses can allow or deny access to network resources to specific IP ranges. This helps improve security.
Monitoring IP ranges can help detect and block malicious activities originating from known harmful IP ranges.
By identifying and monitoring IP ranges, security teams can implement firewall rules, block suspicious IP ranges, and track the source of attacks. This helps prevent unauthorized access.

Content Localization

E-commerce websites and news portals can provide personalized experiences to users based on their location. They can determine locations associated with IP ranges to:

Tailor content
Display prices in local currencies
Offer location-specific deals

Bulk IP Lookup

Bulk IP lookup allows us to request geolocation data of multiple IP addresses in a single request. This request is often sent as a batch or a list. This means we don’t have to make a separate request for each IP address. Bulk IP lookup is particularly helpful when dealing with large datasets.

For example, ipstack API provides a bulk lookup endpoint. Here’s how you can make an API request:

1 2	https://api.ipstack.com/134.201.250.155,72.229.28.185,110.174.165.78 ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY

Benefits of bulk IP lookup

Improved efficiency

Bulk IP lookup reduces the number of API calls. Instead of sending individual requests for each IP address, a single bulk request is sent. This also reduces latency due to multiple API calls.

Cost-effectiveness

Some IP geolocation services charge based on the number of API requests. By using bulk lookups, businesses can often save on costs associated with high volumes of individual queries.

Faster data retrieval

Bulk lookups process multiple queries into one request. This significantly reduces the time it takes to retrieve data compared to sending individual requests.

Moreover, reduced network requests mean less network traffic and overhead. This leads to faster and more efficient data processing.

Enhanced Performance

When multiple IP addresses are processed in parallel, resources are used more efficiently. This results in better overall performance of apps or systems that depend on IP geolocation data.

Use cases of bulk lookup for businesses

Targeted marketing campaigns

Businesses can use bulk IP lookup to collect geolocation data for large volumes of IP addresses. They can then segment their target audience geographically based on this data. This helps with more effective targeted and localized marketing campaigns.

Security

Businesses can use bulk IP lookups to analyze large sets of IP addresses to identify suspicious activities or potential threats. For example, they can detect unusual patterns that may be associated with fraudulent activity.

Analytics

Businesses can analyze IP address data in bulk to analyze a website or application’s traffic. This helps identify trends and patterns associated with user locations.

Security and Threat Detection

IP Geolocation APIs often include advanced security features that help detect and mitigate potential threats. These include proxy, VPN, and Tor detection, IP backlisting, etc.

For example, ipstack offers a security module that helps assess risks and threats originating from certain IP addresses. It provides detailed information, such as:

Whether an IP address is using a proxy
Type of proxy
Crawler detection
Crawler name and type
Tor detection
Threat level
Threat type

Here is how you can enable ipstack security module:

https://api.ipstack.com/103.3.61.114

? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY

& security =

Example API response

This information is valuable for preventing potential attacks and enhancing security. For example, fraudsters often use proxies or VPNs to hide their real location or to make multiple attempts from different IP addresses. By detecting if an IP address is using a proxy or VPN, businesses can flag or block suspicious activities.

Moreover, advanced features of IP geolocation API help with geographic anomaly detection. For example, if a user attempts to log in from a different country than the one they usually log in from, it may indicate suspicious activity.

Data Customization and Integration

IP Geolocation APIs often allow businesses to select which data fields they want to retrieve. For instance, a company might only need country and city information. However, some businesses may also require details like timezone, ISP, or latitude and longitude.

Many APIs provide configurable endpoints or query parameters that enable businesses to specify the exact data fields they need. This customization ensures that they get only the relevant information. This, in turn, reduces data processing overhead.

Moreover, customizing the data fields and outputs enhances efficiency and streamlines data handling and integration processes. This reduces the complexity and time required to integrate geolocation data into systems.

Implementing IP Geolocation API

In this section, we’ll provide detailed steps for integrating ipstack. Ipstack is a leading free IP geolocation API known for its high accuracy, speed, efficiency, and advanced features, such as:

Detailed geolocation data
Currency and timezone modules
Security features
Hosting information
Bulk lookup

Here’s a step-by-step guide to implementing ipstack API:

Go to ipstack’s official page.
Click ‘Get Free API Key’ in the top right corner.
Choose your desired subscription plan and fill out the signup form.
Once you’ve created your account, you can obtain your unique API key from your ipstack dashboard.

Coding Examples

You can now use your API key to make API requests for geolocation data. Here’s an example of how to request geolocation data:

1 2	https://api.ipstack.com/134.201.250.155 ? access_key = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY

Here is a JavaScript (fetch) example to look up a single IPv4 or IPv6 address:

const url = "https://api.ipstack.com/134.201.250.155?access_key={PASTE_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE}";

const options = {

method: "GET",

};

try {

const response = await fetch(url, options);

const result = await response.text();

console.log(result);

} catch (error) {

console.error(error);

}

Python Example

import requests

url = "https://api.ipstack.com/134.201.250.155?access_key={PASTE_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE}"

response = requests.get(url)

print(response.json())

Here’s how you can also request the Hostname (JavScript Fetch):

const url = "https://api.ipstack.com/134.201.250.155?access_key={PASTE_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE}&hostname=1";

const options = {

method: "GET",

};

try {

const response = await fetch(url, options);

const result = await response.text();

console.log(result);

} catch (error) {

console.error(error);

}

Check out ipstack API documentation for more coding examples in multiple programming languages.

Conclusion

An IP geolocation API provides comprehensive geolocation data based on the IP address of an internet-connected electronic device. This data is helpful to businesses operating across industries. For example, e-commerce companies can get geolocation locations of their customers to show them personalized product offers based on their location. Moreover, with advanced features of IP geolocation API, businesses can utilize it for fraud prevention, network security, geo-blocking, targeted marketing, and analytics.

ipstack is a leading IP geolocation API trusted by thousands of developers and companies worldwide. The API offers detailed geolocation data and various advanced features. These include timezone and currency modules, security features, bulk lookup, and more.

FAQs

What are IP Ranges, and how are they useful in geolocation?

IP ranges are blocks of IP addresses used to identify and manage network segments. They are useful for geo-blocking, content localization, and network security.

How does Bulk IP Lookup enhance business operations?

Bulk IP Lookup allows businesses to process multiple IP addresses simultaneously. It saves time and provides comprehensive data for marketing, security, and analytics.

What security features do IP Geolocation APIs offer?

IP Geolocation APIs can detect proxies, VPNs, and other security threats. This helps businesses prevent fraud and enhance their security protocols.

What is IP geolocation API?

An IP geolocation API provides geolocation data of an electronic device connected to the internet based on its IP address.

Key Features of IP Geolocation APIs