What Is Loopback Traffic

Loopback (also written loop-back) is the routing of electronic signals or digital data streams back to their source without intentional processing or modification. It is primarily a means of testing the communications infrastructure. … It may be a communication channel with only one communication endpoint.

What is a loopback used for?

The loopback device is a special, virtual network interface that your computer uses to communicate with itself. It is used mainly for diagnostics and troubleshooting, and to connect to servers running on the local machine.

What does loopback interface mean?

A loopback interface is a virtual interface that is always up and reachable as long as at least one of the IP interfaces on the switch is operational. As a result, a loopback interface is useful for debugging tasks since its IP address can always be pinged if any other switch interface is up.