What is the difference between an IP address and a MAC address in networking?

An IP address is a logical address of a device in a network, used for routing packets between networks. It can be dynamic or static and operates at the network layer (layer 3 of the OSI model). For example, an IPv4 address looks like 192.168.1.1.

A MAC address is a unique physical address of a network interface, assigned by the manufacturer and operating at the data link layer (layer 2 of the OSI model). It is used to identify a device within a local network. Example MAC address: 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E.

Main difference:

• The IP address changes depending on the network and is used for routing.
• The MAC address is permanent for a device and is used for local identification within a single network.