12 Difference Between MAC Address And IP Address

What Is MAC Address?

MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique identifier that is assigned to every internet-connected machine that allows it to be identified when connected to a specific network. The use of MAC is common in most IEEE 802 networking technologies, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. A MAC address consists of six sets of two hexadecimal digits, each separated by a colon, hyphens or without a separator. It is written as 00:1B:44:11:3A:B7 or 00-1B-44-11-3A-B7. .

Within the operating systems interconnection (OSI) network model, MAC addresses are used in medium access control protocol sub-layer of the data link layer. MAC addresses are typically assigned by device manufacturers and are therefore often referred to as an Ethernet hardware addresses, hardware address, physical address or burned-in address.

What You Need To Know About MAC Address

MAC stands for Media Access Control.
MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) of the computing device.
Media access control is a piece of hardware that controls how data is pushed out onto a network.
MAC address is assigned by the manufacturer of the interface hardware.
MAC address is a hard coded 48-bit (6 bytes) address burned into the ROM of the Network interface card (NIC). They are usually expressed as six pairs of hexadecimal digits, written in the format of, 00:1B:44:11:3A:B7 or 00-1B-44-11-3A-B7.
It identifies the physical address of a computer on the internet.
A device attached with MAC address can be retrieved by ARP protocol (Address Resolution Protocol).
MAC address is a physical address.
MAC address works at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model and allows computers to uniquely identify themselves in the network at a relatively lower level.
MAC is a hardware address.
MAC address looks like a social security number.
The MAC address is only significant on the LAN to which a device is connected, and it is not used or retained in the data stream once packets leave that network.

What Is IP Address?

An (IP address) Internet Protocol address is a numeral label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the internet protocol for communication. An IP address primary serves two underlying purposes: location addressing and hosting or identification of network interface (It identifies the host or more specifically its network interface and it provides the location of the host in the network and thus capable of establishing a path to that host). IP address is usually written and displayed in easy-readable formats, such as 182.15.254.3 in IPv4 or 3001:db7:0:345:0;567:9:1 in IPv6.

An IP address is assigned by a network administrator or Internet Service provider (ISP) to each device connected to a network. Such assignments may be on static (fixed or permanent) or dynamic basis, depending on network practices and software features.

There are two versions of IP address: IPv4 and IPv6. Internet protocol version 4 is usually 32-bit long (4-bytes) whereas Internet Protocol version 6 is usually 128 bits long (16-bytes).

What You Need To Know About IP Address

IP stands for Internet Protocol.
IP address is a numeral label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the internet protocol for communication.
IP controls how devices on the internet communicate and defines the behavior of internet routers.
IP address is assigned by the network administrator or internet service provider (ISP).
IP address can be 32-bit long (4 bytes) or 128-bits long (16 bytes). IPv6, a new IP addressing scheme designed because, total number of addresses in IPv4 were exhausting. An IPv6 consist of 128 bits with the first 64 bits reserved for network identification and the second 64 bits dedicated to identifying the device on the network. IP address is usually written and displayed in easy-readable formats, such as 182.15.254.3 in IPv4 or 3001:db7:0:345:0;567:9:1 in IPv6.
It identifies connection of a computer on the internet.
A device attached with IP address can be retrieved by RARP protocol.
IP address is a logical address.
An IP address works at layer-3 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) i.e Network Layer.
IP address is software address.
IP address acts like a postal mailing address.

Also Read: Difference Between Physical Address And Logical Address

MAC Address Vs IP Address In Tabular Form

BASIS OF COMPARISON	MAC ADDRESS	IP ADDRESS
Acronym for	MAC stands for Media Access Control.	IP stands for Internet Protocol.
Description	It is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) of the computing device.	It is a numeral label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the internet protocol for communication.
Function	It is a piece of hardware that controls how data is pushed out onto a network.	It controls how devices on the internet communicate and defines the behavior of internet routers.
Assigning	It is assigned by the manufacturer of the interface hardware.	It is assigned by the network administrator or internet service provider (ISP).
Bits	It is a hard coded 48-bit (6 bytes) address burned into the ROM of the Network interface card (NIC).	It can be 32-bit long (4 bytes) or 128-bits long (16 bytes).
Operation	It identifies the physical address of a computer on the internet.	It identifies connection of a computer on the internet.
Retrieval Of Device Attached To It	A device attached with MAC address can be retrieved by ARP protocol (Address Resolution Protocol).	A device attached with IP address can be retrieved by RARP protocol.
Type Of Address	It is a physical address.	It is a logical address.
Working On OSI	It works at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI).	It works at layer-3 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) i.e Network Layer.
Kind Of Address	It is a hardware address.	It is software address.
Semblance	It looks like a social security number.	It looks like a postal mailing address.