The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) finds the link-layer hardware address a device needs to send a frame to an IPv4 next hop on its local network. It does not look up the Ethernet address of a remote internet server: the sender uses routing to identify the next hop, then ARP resolves that next hop’s local address.
What ARP means
ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol. It lets devices dynamically discover which local hardware address corresponds to a protocol address—commonly an IPv4 address—so they can build and use mappings for sending frames on a local link. David C. Plummer’s RFC 826, published in November 1982, describes the protocol.
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An IP address and a hardware address serve different purposes. IP helps determine where traffic should go across networks; the link-layer address is used to deliver a frame on the current local link. ARP bridges those roles for the next step of delivery.
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For ordinary IPv4-over-Ethernet resolution, a device broadcasts an ARP Request asking which hardware address belongs to a target IPv4 address on the local link. The device using that IPv4 address responds with an ARP Reply that supplies its hardware address. RFC 826 assigns operation code 1 to a request and 2 to a reply.
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An ARP packet includes hardware and protocol address-space identifiers, the lengths of those addresses, an operation code, and sender and target hardware and protocol addresses. The familiar request-and-reply exchange is one use of those fields.
Why ARP resolves the next hop, not the remote destination
Before sending a packet, a host makes a routing decision about where it should go next. If the destination is on the connected network, the next hop is usually that destination. If the destination is on another network, the next hop is usually a router or gateway. ARP then seeks the local hardware address for that next hop, not for the remote destination across the internet.
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The router forwards IP traffic between networks and performs its own local-link delivery on the outgoing network. A distinct behavior called Proxy ARP lets a gateway answer ARP requests on behalf of hosts on another subnet, which can make communicating hosts unaware of the subnet arrangement. Proxy ARP is not the ordinary end-to-end resolution of a remote host’s Ethernet address. See RFC 1027, published in October 1987.
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| Behavior | Purpose | Key packet detail |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary ARP resolution | Ask for the local hardware address associated with a target protocol address. | A request asks about the target; the reply provides the responder’s hardware address. RFC 826 request and reply operation codes are 1 and 2. |
| ARP Probe | Check whether a candidate IPv4 address is already in use before using it. | A broadcast ARP Request uses a sender IP address of all zeroes and the candidate address as its target IP address. |
| ARP Announcement | Announce that an IPv4 address is in use. | A broadcast ARP Request puts the announced address in both sender and target IP fields. |
| Proxy ARP | Have a gateway answer for a host on another subnet so devices can operate without knowing the subnet arrangement. | A gateway answers on the other host’s behalf; this is a separate behavior from ordinary local resolution. |
RFC 5227, published in July 2008, specifies IPv4 Address Conflict Detection (ACD), including probes and announcements. A single unsolicited or “gratuitous” ARP announcement is not, by itself, the full duplicate-address detection procedure: ACD includes probing before use and passive detection of conflicts that arise later.
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What ARP can and cannot establish about a device
The ARP behavior specified in these standards does not authenticate address claims. RFC 5227 notes that a malicious host can send replies claiming its own hardware address for requested IP addresses. An ARP mapping is therefore network information that can be forged, not cryptographic proof of a device’s identity.
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