What is Localhost?
{{Lowercase title}} '''localhost''' means ''this computer'' in [[computer networking]]. On most computers <code>localhost</code> resolves to the IP address <code>::1</code> in IPv6 and <code>127.0.0.1</code> in IPv4. The localhost is useful for [[programmers]] to test [[software]] independent of a network connection. Using the localhost bypasses the [[network card]] in a computer. ==Loopback== The loopback function of localhost can be used to run a network service without needing a physical [[network card]]. It can also be used to not let a network access the service that the computer is connected to. [[IPv4]] network standards [[wikt:reserve|reserve]] the address block ''127.0.0.0/8'' for loopback.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cotton|first=M.|last2=Vegoda|first2=L.|last3=Haberman|first3=B.|date=April 2013|editor-last=Bonica|editor-first=R.|title=Special-Purpose IP Address Registries|url=https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6890|language=en|doi=10.17487/rfc6890}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{tech-stub}} [[Category:Internet protocols]]