---
title: MAC_addresses
tags: [networks]
created: Tuesday, August 06, 2024
---

# MAC addresses

A Media Access Control (MAC) address is a physical address in contrast to, say,
an IP address which is logical.

Each device on a [local network](./Link_Layer_of_Internet_Protocol.md) has a MAC
as a unique identifier. It is hardware-based and the addresses are typically
burned into the network card by the manufacturer, making them a physical
attribute of the device.

MAC addresses consist of 6 bytes (48-bits) represented as 12
[hexadecimal_digits](Hexadecimal_number_system.md)