In this Laravel 12 tutorial, you will learn how to get client IP address in Laravel 12 with practical examples. We will start by understanding what an IP address is and why it is important in web applications. Then, we’ll explore different ways to fetch the client IP using the Request object and the request() helper.
What is an IP Address?
An IP Address (Internet Protocol Address) is a unique identifier for each device on the internet or local network, enabling proper communication between systems. It works like a digital address that allows computers, servers, and mobile devices to communicate with each other.
There are two common versions of IP addresses:
- IPv4 : Example
192.168.1.1
- IPv6 : Example
2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
In web applications, capturing the client’s IP address is useful for:
- User activity tracking
- Geo-location & analytics
- Security (blocking suspicious IPs, preventing abuse)
- Logging user actions
Laravel 12 How to Get Client IP Address Example
1. Using Request Object
Laravel provides the ip() method from the Illuminate\Http\Request class. You can inject Request into your controller method and call ip() like this:
Here, $request->ip() will return the client’s IP address.
<?php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
class UserController extends Controller
{
public function getIp(Request $request)
{
dd($request->ip());
return redirect()->back()->withSuccess("Data saved successfully");
}
}
Here, $request->ip() will return the client’s IP address.
2. Using request() Helper
Laravel also provides a global helper request(). You can directly use it without importing Request:
public function getIp(Request $request)
{
dd(request()->ip());
}
This is handy if you are fetching the IP inside routes, middleware, or other classes.
Read Also : Laravel 12 Socialite Login With Google Account Example
3. Using getClientIp() Method
public function getIp(Request $request)
{
dd( $request->getClientIp());
}
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we explored how to get the client IP address in Laravel 12 with multiple approaches. We started by understanding what an IP address is, why it is important in web applications, and the difference between IPv4 and IPv6.
Then, we looked at different practical methods to retrieve the IP address:
- Using the $request->ip() method
- Using the request()->ip() helper
- Using the getClientIp() method
By implementing these techniques, you can easily capture and use the client’s IP address for purposes such as logging, analytics, geo-location, or security checks.
Laravel makes it simple to work with client IPs, whether your app is running on a local server or behind proxies and load balancers.