Why Do External Websites and Command Prompt Show Different IP Addresses?

A user checks an IP address using an external website.

The address is different than the one the user sees when opening a command prompt and typing in ipconfig/all.

The user does not understand why the two tools show different IP addresses.

This is BEST explained by the interworking of:

A.

network devices

B.

packet flow

C.

public/private networks

D.

traffic-routing protocols.

C.

The discrepancy between the IP address displayed on an external website and the one displayed in the command prompt when typing "ipconfig/all" can be explained by the interworking of public and private networks.

An IP address is a unique identifier assigned to each device on a network. Public IP addresses are assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to devices connected to the internet, while private IP addresses are assigned by network administrators to devices on a private network.

When a user accesses an external website, the website is accessed via the internet and the user's device is identified by its public IP address. However, when the user checks the IP address via the command prompt, the device is identified by its private IP address because the command is executed within the local private network.

Therefore, the difference in IP addresses displayed can be attributed to the fact that the external website is identifying the user's device based on its public IP address, while the command prompt is identifying the device based on its private IP address within the local network.

It is important to note that network devices and traffic-routing protocols may also impact the flow of packets and ultimately impact the IP addresses displayed, but in this specific scenario, the difference in IP addresses is BEST explained by the interworking of public and private networks.