What is a Loopback Address?
A special IP address that routes traffic back to the same device.
Detailed Explanation
The loopback address allows a device to send network traffic to itself, useful for testing and local services. In IPv4, the entire 127.0.0.0/8 range is reserved for loopback, though 127.0.0.1 is most commonly used. In IPv6, ::1 serves the same purpose. Traffic sent to loopback addresses never leaves the device and doesn't appear on the physical network.
Examples
- •127.0.0.1 - IPv4 localhost
- •::1 - IPv6 localhost
- •localhost - hostname that resolves to loopback