What is the Internet Protocol (IP) responsible for?

What is the Internet Protocol (IP) responsible for?

• A. Routing of packets from source to destination across the Internet.
• B. Providing reliable delivery of data.
• C. Mapping domain names to IP addresses.
• D. Encrypting payloads

Answer: (A)

IP is the addressing and forwarding protocol of the Internet. Its main job is to route packets from the source to the destination across networks. Each packet carries an IP address, and routers use that address to decide where to send it next, guiding the data through multiple networks until it reaches the target host. IP itself does not guarantee delivery—that reliability comes from higher-level protocols like TCP. Mapping domain names to IP addresses is handled by DNS, and encryption is provided by other technologies such as TLS/SSL (and, in some cases, IPsec), not by IP alone. So, the idea that IP routes packets across the Internet best captures its responsibility.

IP is the addressing and forwarding protocol of the Internet. Its main job is to route packets from the source to the destination across networks. Each packet carries an IP address, and routers use that address to decide where to send it next, guiding the data through multiple networks until it reaches the target host. IP itself does not guarantee delivery—that reliability comes from higher-level protocols like TCP. Mapping domain names to IP addresses is handled by DNS, and encryption is provided by other technologies such as TLS/SSL (and, in some cases, IPsec), not by IP alone. So, the idea that IP routes packets across the Internet best captures its responsibility.