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💻 A virtual network 🔌 A test connector 🔄 A test process
loopback

loopback

1 6.1
A virtual network interface on a computer that sends network messages back to the same machine for testing
  • noun
  • /ˈluːpˌbæk/
  • Specialized
: interfaz de bucle de retorno
  • The IP address 127.0.0.1 is commonly referred to as the loopback address, allowing the computer to communicate with itself.

Examples

  • Sound Recorder (Windows) can record audio from a microphone or headset; many modern sound cards allow their output channels to be recorded (the loopback channel is typically called "Wave Out Mix" or something similar).

    Academic text (2008)

  • In an attempt to reduce network installation and administration costs, Bell Laboratories, the research and development arm of Lucent Technologies in Murray Hill, N.J., is investigating a loopback system that would replace the laser sources at a customer's premises with an optical modulator.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The SSL VPN allows me to access my network by establishing an SSL tunnel to the loopback interface of my computer while at work, thus tunneling through our firewall.

    Blog text (7)

  • To test the application locally, you can use a loopback interface that sends network traffic back to the same machine.

  • Developers often rely on the loopback network for troubleshooting communication issues within their own computers.

Synonyms

localhost
vsloopback
  • Specialized
1 5.3

An address that lets you reach your own computer on a network for testing

is the virtual interface that sends outgoing traffic back into the same machine

Surface Forms

loopback singular
loopbacks plural

Morphology

loopback = loop (transparent) = back + loop

The term names a virtual interface that routes traffic 'back' to the same machine via a loop, a directly compositional meaning. [Postprocessing: moved 'back' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Loopback comes from loop ('a circle') and back ('return'), so imagine a virtual road that turns network traffic around and sends it back to the same computer. That's why the loopback interface lets programs send messages to themselves for testing or local communication.