What's the difference between a MAC address and IP address?
What is the Mac address?
MAC address is a unique identifier that is assigned to a NIC (Network Interface Controller/ Card). It consists of a 48 bit or 64-bit address, which is associated with the network adapter. MAC address can be in hexadecimal format. The full form of MAC address is Media Access Control address. A MAC address is generally in six sets of two-digits/characters that are separated by colons.
What is the IP address?
An IP address is an address that helps you to identify a network connection. It is termed as the ‘Logical Address,’ which is provided to a connection in a network.
IP address helps you to control how devices on the Internet communicate and defines the behavior of internet routers.
Key Differences
- MAC address is a unique hardware identification number that is assigned to a NIC (Network Interface Controller/ Card), whereas the IP addr
ess is an address that helps you to identify a network connection. - MAC address is assigned by the manufacturer of the hardware interface while the IP address is assigned by the network administrator or Internet Service Provider (ISP).
- Mac address defines the devices identity, but IP address describes how the devices are connected to the network.
- MAC addresses can be used for broadcasting, on the other hand, IP address can be used for broadcasting or multicasting.
- The MAC address is implemented in the Data-Link layer of the OSI or TCP/IP reference model. In contrast, the IP address is implemented in the Network layer of the TCP/IP or OSI model.
