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Used for link-local addresses [5] between two hosts on a single link when no IP address is otherwise specified, such as would have normally been retrieved from a DHCP server 172.16.0.0/12 172.16.0.0–172.31.255.255 1 048 576: Private network Used for local communications within a private network [3] 192.0.0.0/24 192.0.0.0–192.0.0.255 256
The address 127.0.0.1 is the standard address for IPv4 loopback traffic; the rest are not supported by all operating systems. However, they can be used to set up multiple server applications on the host, all listening on the same port number. In the IPv6 addressing architecture [3] there is only a single address assigned for loopback: ::1. The ...
In both Windows and Linux, when selecting which of a host's IP address to use as a source IP, a program may specify INADDR_ANY (0.0.0.0). [3] [4] In Linux a program may specify 0.0.0.0 as the remote address to connect to the current host (AKA localhost). [2]
Link-local addresses may be assigned manually by an administrator or by automatic operating system procedures. In Internet Protocol (IP) networks, they are assigned most often using stateless address autoconfiguration, a process that often uses a stochastic process to select the value of link-local addresses, assigning a pseudo-random address that is different for each session.
The name localhost is a commonly defined hostname for the loopback interface in most TCP/IP systems, resolving to the IP addresses 127.0.0.1 in IPv4 and ::1 for IPv6.As a top-level domain, the name has traditionally been defined statically in host DNS implementations with address records (A and AAAA) pointing to the same loopback addresses.
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IP addresses are assigned to a host either dynamically as they join the network, or persistently by configuration of the host hardware or software. Persistent configuration is also known as using a static IP address. In contrast, when a computer's IP address is assigned each time it restarts, this is known as using a dynamic IP address.
The IP address of a public server is also important, similar in global uniqueness to a postal address or telephone number. Both IP address and port number must be correctly known by all hosts wishing to successfully communicate. Private IP addresses as described in RFC 1918 are usable only on private networks not directly connected to the internet.