# IP Address Parser MCP

> IP Address Parser MCP validates, parses, and classifies any IPv4 or IPv6 address. It determines if an IP is private, public, loopback, or multicast. You can parse CIDR blocks like 10.0.0.0/8 and automatically convert between IPv4 and IPv6 formats using standard network rules.

## Overview
- **Category:** loved-by-devs
- **Price:** Free
- **Tags:** ipv4, ipv6, cidr, network-parsing, data-validation

## Description

Network data is messy. An IP address might be a raw string, a subnet range in CIDR notation, or it might need conversion from IPv4 to its IPv6 equivalent for dual-stack systems. This MCP handles all those cases. It uses industry-standard logic, the same engine that major frameworks like Express.js use in production. When you run an IP address through this connector, it doesn't just check if the format is valid; it figures out what that address actually means. Does it belong to a private network? Is it routable on the public internet? It gives you definitive answers, following established standards like RFC 5735 and RFC 4291. Vinkius puts this tool right in your agent's toolkit, so you don’t have to remember complex regex or manually check multiple networking libraries. You just ask for the IP details, and it handles the complexity.

## Tools

### parse_ip_address
Validates and extracts components from an IP address string, supporting CIDR notation and converting between IPv4/IPv6.

## Prompt Examples

**Prompt:** 
```
Our firewall received a connection from 10.0.14.7. Is this an internal or external IP?
```

**Response:** 
```
Kind: ipv4 | Range: private | This is an internal RFC 1918 address. Not routable on the public internet.
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Parse the VPC subnet 172.31.0.0/16 for our AWS infrastructure documentation.
```

**Response:** 
```
Network: 172.31.0.0 | Prefix: /16 (65,534 hosts) | Kind: ipv4 | Range: private.
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Convert our on-prem server 192.168.1.100 to IPv6 format for the dual-stack migration.
```

**Response:** 
```
IPv6 Mapped: ::ffff:192.168.1.100 | Kind: ipv4 | Range: private.
```

## Capabilities

### Classify Address Scope
Determines if an IP address is private, public, loopback, multicast, link-local, or unspecified.

### Parse CIDR Notation
Takes a subnet range (e.g., 172.16.0.0/16) and extracts the network address and prefix length.

### Convert IP Formats
Automatically translates addresses between IPv4 and their corresponding IPv6 representation, and vice versa.

### Validate Format Integrity
Confirms if a given string is syntactically valid as an IPv4 or IPv6 address.

## Use Cases

### Triaging an unknown firewall alert
A security analyst sees a connection attempt from 10.0.14.7 in a log file. They ask their agent, 'What kind of IP is this?' The MCP immediately replies: Kind: ipv4 | Range: private | This is an internal RFC 1918 address, meaning it's not meant for the public internet.

### Documenting a new VPC subnet
A DevOps architect needs to document a subnet range like 172.31.0.0/16. They prompt their agent with this MCP, which returns the network address and confirms that it's a private IPv4 range, ready for infrastructure documentation.

### Migrating legacy services to dual-stack
A team needs to update old systems using 192.168.1.100. They ask the agent to convert it, and this MCP provides the correct IPv6 Mapped format: ::ffff:192.168.1.100. This enables them to complete the migration accurately.

### Validating input data schemas
A developer receives a batch of IP addresses as part of an API payload. They pass the whole list through the MCP, which validates every entry and flags any malformed or non-standard entries before they hit production code.

## Benefits

- Instead of writing complex, error-prone regex for every IP check, the `parse_ip_address` tool handles all validation against RFC standards automatically. This saves time and prevents logic errors in your agent's code.
- When dealing with subnetting (CIDR), you don't have to manually calculate network addresses or prefix lengths. Just pass the range, and you get clean details on the network address and host count.
- If you run dual-stack services, this MCP solves conversion headaches. It reliably converts an IPv4 address into its corresponding IPv6 mapped format, making migrations straightforward for your agent.
- The tool instantly classifies addresses—is it private? Is it loopback? Knowing the range kind is critical for security checks and routing logic in a single function call.
- It works regardless of whether you are using standard IP strings or complex CIDR blocks. The engine supports both IPv4 and IPv6 formats out of the box.

## How It Works

The bottom line is that you get consistent, standardized data about what an IP address means, without having to worry about networking protocols.

1. Provide the MCP with the IP address, CIDR block, or formatted string you need checked.
2. The tool runs the input against established networking standards (RFC 5735/4291) to classify its type and range.
3. You receive a structured output detailing the address kind, its network range, and any necessary conversions.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Can the IP Address Parser MCP handle CIDR notation?**
Yes, absolutely. You can pass a full subnet range (like 172.31.0.0/16), and it will correctly parse the network address and prefix length for you.

**How do I use `parse_ip_address` to check if an IP is private?**
Just pass the suspected internal IP (e.g., 10.0.14.7). The tool will classify it, and you'll get a clear result stating that it falls within a private range.

**Does this MCP convert IPv4 to IPv6 automatically?**
Yes, the connector supports dual-stack functionality. If you provide an IPv4 address, it will also return its proper IPv4-mapped IPv6 equivalent.

**Is `parse_ip_address` reliable for security analysis?**
It uses industry-standard libraries and follows strict RFC guidelines. This makes the classification highly dependable when analyzing firewall logs or threat intelligence feeds.

**How does `parse_ip_address` distinguish between different types of IP ranges?**
It classifies addresses into six defined categories. The engine identifies whether an address is unicast, private (RFC 1918), loopback, multicast, link-local, or unspecified. This gives you more context than just knowing if it’s public or private.

**What is the process when using `parse_ip_address` for IPv4-to-IPv6 mapping?**
The tool handles this conversion by generating the official IPv4-mapped IPv6 representation. You simply pass a standard IPv4 address, and it returns the full dual-stack format (e.g., ::ffff:192.168.1.1).

**Does `parse_ip_address` require strict formatting, and how does it handle invalid inputs?**
No, the tool first validates the input string against RFC standards. If you pass a malformed address or an unparsable CIDR notation, it will fail gracefully and return an explicit error message instead of crashing your workflow.

**Is `parse_ip_address` optimized for high-volume network data processing?**
Yes, the underlying library is already standard in major production frameworks like Express.js and Koa. This means it's built to process large volumes of IP lookups quickly and reliably.

**How does it know if an IP is private or public?**
It follows the IANA reserved ranges defined in RFC 5735 (IPv4) and RFC 4291 (IPv6). 10.x.x.x, 172.16-31.x.x, and 192.168.x.x are classified as 'private'. 127.x.x.x as 'loopback'. Everything else as 'unicast' (public).

**Can I check if an IP belongs to a specific CIDR range?**
Yes. Pass the CIDR notation like '10.0.0.0/8' and the engine returns the network address, prefix length, and address kind. Parse both the IP and the CIDR to compare.

**Does it work with IPv6 addresses?**
Yes. Full IPv6 support including compressed notation (::1), IPv4-mapped (::ffff:192.168.1.1), and all RFC 4291 scoped addresses.