loopback

Loopback refers to a special network interface used to send traffic back to the same device for testing and diagnostic purposes. The loopback address for IPv4 is 127.0.0.1, while for IPv6 it is ::1. When a device sends a request to the loopback address, the network data does not leave the local machine; instead, it is processed internally, allowing developers to test applications or network services without requiring external network access. Loopback is commonly used to simulate network traffic, check local services, or debug issues locally.

Learn more from the following resources:

@article@What is a loopback address?
@article@Understanding the loopback address and loopback interfaces

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loopback

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