5. Disambiguation
5.1. General
5.1.1. IP (address)
An Internet Protocol (IP) address can be thought of as a computer postcode to help identify where a machine can be found, for the purposes of communicating to it; it is difficult to mail a letter without a postcode.
- local IP (address) example:
192.168.1.1
5.1.2. port
A computers port is usually associated with an IP (address). This port further specifies where specifically to communicate to. Following the post analogy the post code is the IP (address), but the house number is the port. This analogy breaks down when we consider that each computer can and usually does have multiple ports in the thousands, so maybe the computer is a property tycoon with multiple homes that can be contacted.
- port example:
192.168.1.1
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