Difference between MAC Address and IP Address

MAC Addresses and IP Addresses both identify devices on the Internet. The NIC card manufacturer provides MAC Address. Whereas, the Internet Service Provider provides the IP Address.

The main difference between them is that MAC Address is used for physical location to identify it on a network. Whereas, IP Addresses is used to indentify device on the Internet logically.

MAC Address Vs IP Address

Difference between MAC Address and IP Address:

S.No	Aspect	MAC Address	IP Address
1.	Abbreviation	Stands for Media Access Control Address	Stands for Internet Protocol Address
2.	Address Format	Six-byte hexadecimal	Four-byte (IPv4) or sixteen-byte (IPv6)
3.	Device Retrieval Protocol	ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)	RARP (Reverse ARP)
4.	Provider	NIC Card’s Manufacturer	Internet Service Provider
5.	Purpose	Ensures the physical address	Logical address of the computer
6.	OSI Layer	Data link layer	Network layer
7.	Identifying Devices	Simply identifies the device	Identifies the connection on the network
8.	Change Over Time	Cannot be changed with time and environment	Modifies with time and environment
9.	Privacy	Can’t be found easily by a third party	Can be found by a third party
10.	Address Format Example	48-bit, six groups of 2 hexadecimal digits, separated by hyphens or colons	32-bit (IPv4) or 128-bit (IPv6)
11.	Address Classes	No classes used	Uses A, B, C, D, and E classes (IPv4)
12.	Sharing of Addresses	Not allowed	Multiple client devices can share
13.	Problem Solving	Helps solve IP address issues	Cannot solve MAC address issues
14.	Broadcasting/Multicasting	Used for broadcasting	Used for broadcasting or multicasting
15.	Hardware vs. Software Orientation	Hardware-oriented	Software-oriented
16.	Device Forwarding in Communication	Switch needs MAC address	Router needs IP address

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