An IP address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two main functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing. A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are used as a network address for most IEEE 802 network technologies, including Ethernet. In other words, an IP address is used to identify a device on a network and to enable communication between devices on a network, while a MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for communications at the data link layer of a network. IP addresses are typically assigned dynamically, while MAC addresses are hard-coded into the network interface of a device.