Difference between 127.0.0.1 and localhost.

The terms 127.0.0.1 and localhost are often used interchangeably, but they actually have slightly different meanings.

127.0.0.1 is the loopback address, which means it is a special IP address that always refers to the local host, or the local computer that you are using. This address is used to access services that are running on the local machine, such as a web server or database server.

On the other hand, localhost is a domain name that is resolved to the loopback address, 127.0.0.1. In other words, localhost is a human-readable alias for the loopback address.

For example, if you are running a web server on your local machine and want to access it from your web browser, you can use either http://127.0.0.1 or http://localhost to access it. Both URLs will refer to the local machine and allow you to access the web server.

In most cases, it doesn’t really matter whether you use 127.0.0.1 or localhost. Both will refer to the local machine and allow you to access services running on it. However, there are a few cases where one may be more appropriate than the other.

For example, if you are writing a script or application that needs to access a service on the local machine, using the loopback address, 127.0.0.1, may be more appropriate. This is because the loopback address is a fixed, well-defined IP address, whereas the localhost domain name may be mapped to different IP addresses in different environments.

On the other hand, if you are providing instructions to a user on how to access a service on the local machine, using the localhost domain name may be more user-friendly. This is because most people are familiar with the term localhost, whereas the loopback address, 127.0.0.1, may be less familiar to some users.

In summary, the main difference between 127.0.0.1 and localhost is that 127.0.0.1 is the loopback address, while localhost is a domain name that is resolved to the loopback address. Both refer to the local machine and can be used to access services running on it, but one may be more appropriate than the other depending on the context.

I hope this is helpful. Kindly reach out if you have any questions.