INET_CLIENT_ADDR

Return the IP address of the client that opened the current session.

Syntax

INET_CLIENT_ADDR()

Description

## Overview Returns the IP address of the client that opened the current session, as a string. Use this function for audit logging, access tracing, or row-level predicates tied to the client origin. Returns NULL when the client connected over a local socket or when the address is otherwise unavailable. ## Session context - The value is fixed at connection establishment and does not change during the session. - Takes no arguments. - Returns NULL for local (non-IP) connections. ## Behavior - Returns a STRING containing either an IPv4 or IPv6 address. - Deterministic for the duration of the session. - Side effect free. ## Compatibility - PG-compat alias for `inet_client_addr` function.

Examples

-- Read the client IP address
SELECT INET_CLIENT_ADDR();

-- Log client IP alongside the session user
SELECT CURRENT_USER() AS user_name, INET_CLIENT_ADDR() AS client_ip;

-- Include both client and server IPs in an audit row
SELECT INET_CLIENT_ADDR() AS source_ip, INET_SERVER_ADDR() AS dest_ip;

-- Restrict rows to sessions originating from a specific subnet (admin use)
SELECT * FROM ops.audit.queries WHERE INET_CLIENT_ADDR() LIKE '10.%';

Pitfalls

• INET_CLIENT_ADDR returns NULL for local Unix-domain sockets. Handle the NULL case explicitly in audit queries rather than treating it as missing data.
• When a proxy or load balancer fronts the server, this function returns the proxy's address, not the original client. Extract the real client from a forwarded-for header at the application layer.
• The returned string format matches the engine's IP stack: dotted-decimal for IPv4, RFC 5952 form for IPv6. Normalize with IS_IPV4 / IS_IPV6 if you compare against stored addresses.
• The value is session-scoped, not query-scoped. Storing it per row at insert time is the right pattern for audit; relying on it at read time assumes the reader opened its own session.

See Also

• inet_server_addr
• current_user
• session_user
• is_ipv4
• is_ipv6