GeoIP Database

Websitehttps://dev.maxmind.com/geoip
CategoryASN & Network Metadata

MaxMind's GeoIP database maps IP addresses to physical locations including countries, cities, and geographic coordinates. We use the free GeoLite2 tier to provide IP geolocation across all our sites, enabling users to determine the approximate physical location of any IP address on the internet.

Source:GeoIP Database

What is the GeoIP Database?

IP geolocation works by mapping allocated IP address blocks to geographic locations. MaxMind, a US-based company founded in 2002, maintains one of the most widely used geolocation databases in the industry. They build their database through a combination of methods:

  • RIR allocation data - Regional Internet Registries record which country each IP block is allocated to, providing a baseline of country-level accuracy
  • Network topology analysis - Traceroute measurements and network latency data help pinpoint where IP addresses are actually used, which may differ from where they are registered
  • ISP and organization data - Mapping IP blocks to known ISP service areas narrows geographic precision
  • User-contributed corrections - MaxMind accepts corrections from IP address holders who report inaccurate geolocation for their blocks

MaxMind offers two product tiers: GeoIP2 (commercial, higher accuracy, city-level precision) and GeoLite2 (free, slightly lower accuracy, same database structure). Both provide country, city, postal code, latitude/longitude, and timezone data. The GeoLite2 database we use is available under a permissive license requiring attribution and periodic updates.

Country-level accuracy typically exceeds 99% for most regions. City-level accuracy varies significantly by country and ISP, ranging from roughly 50% to 80% depending on the region. IP addresses behind carrier-grade NAT, VPNs, or cloud hosting may geolocate to the data center or corporate headquarters rather than the actual end user.

How We Use This Data

IP geolocation appears throughout our sites wherever IP addresses are displayed. On robtex.com, rbls.org, and dns.ninja, IP lookup pages show the estimated country and city for each address. On rtsak.com, AS and prefix pages display the geographic distribution of IP space within a network.

The geolocation data serves several purposes for our users:

  • Network diagnostics - Understanding where servers are physically located helps diagnose latency and routing issues
  • Security analysis - Geographic context for IP addresses involved in suspicious activity helps assess threats. An SSH brute-force attempt from an unexpected country stands out differently than one from a known office location
  • Infrastructure mapping - Viewing the geographic spread of an organization's IP space reveals their data center footprint and hosting strategy

We display geolocation as supplementary context alongside authoritative data like WHOIS records and BGP routing information. Users should treat geolocation as an approximation, not a definitive physical location.

FAQ

How accurate is IP geolocation at the city level?
Country-level accuracy is generally above 99%. City-level accuracy varies widely: it tends to be higher in countries with well-mapped ISP infrastructure (like the US, UK, and Germany) and lower in regions where ISPs serve large geographic areas from a single point of presence. Cloud hosting IPs typically geolocate to the data center city, and VPN exit nodes geolocate to the VPN server location, not the actual user.
Why does an IP address show the wrong location?
Several common reasons: the IP block was recently reassigned to a different region and the database has not yet been updated; the IP belongs to a VPN, proxy, or CDN that routes traffic through a different country; the ISP registered the block in one location but uses it to serve customers in another; or the IP is behind carrier-grade NAT where thousands of users share a single public address. MaxMind accepts correction requests from IP block holders.
What is the difference between GeoLite2 and the commercial GeoIP2?
GeoLite2 is the free tier with slightly lower accuracy, particularly at the city and postal code level. GeoIP2 is the paid commercial product with more frequent updates, better city-level precision, and additional data fields like confidence scores and ISP names. For most use cases including ours, GeoLite2 provides sufficient accuracy for country and approximate city identification.