Even when every network device is disconnected, your computer can still communicate over a kind of network. Known as a “loopback,” a Unix machine can send and receive network communications from itself and to itself over a virtual network device. Your computer can send messages from itself to itself, permitting network-style communications without the need for a functioning network. What is 127.0.0.1? 127.0.0.1 is the most commonly-used loopback IP address. It’s part of the reserved block of more than sixteen million IP addresses that are used specifically for loopback functionality. A loopback allows your computer to communicate with itself while using networking connection protocols. … Read more