NetworkAddressUtils

Overview NetworkAddressUtils is a Java library designed to simplify network programming tasks, specifically focusing on retrieving the IPv4 address of a machine's network interfaces. It provides a straightforward API for developers to obtain the machine's local IP address, which is crucial for various network-based applications, especially those involving intra-network communication.

The library abstracts the complexities of Java's native networking APIs, offering a user-friendly way to fetch IPv4 addresses without delving into the lower-level details of network interface enumeration and IP address filtering.

Purpose

The primary purpose of NetAddrUtils is to facilitate the development of Java applications that require network communication within a Local Area Network (LAN). It is particularly useful for:

Network diagnostics and monitoring tools.
Server-client applications that operate within a LAN.
IoT (Internet of Things) applications that need to identify devices within the network.
Multiplayer games that use local networking for player connections.

Features

Easy retrieval of the active IPv4 address of a machine.
Filtering of non-relevant network interfaces (e.g., loopback, virtual, inactive interfaces).
Simple API, making network programming accessible to developers without in-depth knowledge of Java's networking capabilities.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Java JDK 21 or later

Installation

To use NetAddrUtils in your project, include the following in your project's build file:

Maven

<dependency>
    <groupId>ltd.clearsolutions.networkaddressutils</groupId>
    <artifactId>networkaddressutils</artifactId>
    <version>1.0.0</version>
</dependency>

Gradle:

 implementation 'ltd.clearsolutions.networkaddressutils:networkaddressutils:1.0.0'

Usage

Using NetAddrUtils is straightforward. Here's a quick example to get the IPv4 address of your machine:

public static void main(String[] args) {
        IpAddressHelper ipHelper = new IpAddressHelper();
        String ipAddress = ipHelper.getMachineIpAddressInInternalNetwork();
        System.out.println("Machine IP Address: " + ipAddress);
    }

Contributing

We welcome contributions to NetAddrUtils! If you have suggestions for improvements or encounter any issues, please feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

NetAddrUtils is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more details.

clear-solutions/NetworkAddressUtils