Difference between IP Address and MAC Address

Every device connected to a computer network, whether it’s the internet or a local network, needs to be uniquely identified to communicate properly. Two essential identifiers play this role — the IP address and the MAC address. Though they may seem similar, they serve very different purposes in networking. Let’s explore what each of these terms means and how they differ from each other.

What is a MAC Address?

The full form of MAC is Media Access Control. A MAC address is a unique hardware identifier assigned to a network interface card (NIC) by the manufacturer. It is a 48-bit address usually represented in hexadecimal format (e.g., 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E). This address operates at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model and is used within the local network to identify devices.

What is an IP Address?

The full form of IP is Internet Protocol. An IP address is a logical identifier assigned to a device by a network administrator or dynamically via DHCP. It is used to identify devices across networks and helps route data from source to destination over the internet. IP addresses can be of two versions: IPv4 (e.g., 192.168.1.1) and IPv6 (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334).

MAC Address vs IP Address

	MAC Address	IP Address
Full Form	Media Access Control Address	Internet Protocol Address
Purpose	Used to identify devices within a local network	Used to identify devices across networks
Assigned By	Device Manufacturer	Network Administrator or DHCP
Address Format	Hexadecimal (e.g., 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E)	IPv4 (e.g., 192.168.1.1) or IPv6
Layer in OSI Model	Data Link Layer (Layer 2)	Network Layer (Layer 3)
Changeability	Permanent and usually not changeable	Can be changed or reassigned
Scope	Works within local networks	Works across global networks (Internet)