MySQL Database IP Address Storage Using PHP

When storing IP addresses in a MySQL database using PHP, it's crucial to consider the appropriate field type and method of storage.

Field Type

The most suitable field type for IPv4 addresses is INT. Despite the apparent mismatch, this choice is driven by the efficient conversion process from IP addresses to integers via the PHP ip2long function. To retrieve the original IP address, MySQL's INET_NTOA function or PHP's long2ip function can be used.

IPv6 Storage

For IPv6 addresses, a BINARY field is more appropriate. PHP's inet_pton function facilitates the conversion of IPv6 addresses into binary strings suitable for storage in the database.

Storage Approach

Once the field type is determined, the IP address can be stored in the database using PHP's standard methods for inserting data. The conversion functions mentioned above should be employed to ensure the correct representation of the IP address in the database.

Example Code

// IPv4
$ip = '192.168.1.1';
$ip_int = ip2long($ip);
$query = "INSERT INTO table (ip) VALUES ($ip_int)";

// IPv6
$ip = '2001:db8:85a3:0:0:8a2e:370:7334';
$ip_bin = inet_pton($ip);
$query = "INSERT INTO table (ip) VALUES ($ip_bin)";

By following these guidelines and utilizing the appropriate functions, developers can effectively store IP addresses in MySQL databases using PHP, ensuring data integrity and performance.