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Differences Between Localhost and 127.0.0.1 Explained

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Understanding the Differences Between Localhost and 127.0.0.1. While often used interchangeably, localhost and 127.0.0.1 serve distinct purposes in networking. Localhost is a hostname that points to the local machine, configured via the hosts file, making it flexible for development. In contrast, 127.0.0.1 is a fixed loopback IP address that allows direct communication without DNS resolution, often used for low-level network testing. Understanding these differences is crucial for optimizing development, debugging, and ensuring security in network configurations.