In the decade since its creation, icanhazip has become a valuable tool for network operators worldwide. However, hosting the site has been a challenging journey. Originally born out of a need to quickly check IP addresses for backend infrastructure, the site gained popularity after being featured by Lifehacker Australia. As traffic skyrocketed, the creator had to constantly upgrade servers and make improvements to handle the load. Eventually, Cloudflare came to the rescue, offering their services for free and helping the site scale even further. Despite facing malware attacks and dealing with abuse emails, the creator’s goal has always been to provide a service to the Internet. Cloudflare’s sponsorship has allowed them to continue doing so.
https://blog.apnic.net/2021/06/17/how-a-small-free-ip-tool-survived/