Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) Glossary Definition

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) maps an IP address to a hardware address on a local network.

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a Network protocol or service concept used to support addressing, transport, naming, management, authentication, or application communication.

Attackers can abuse ARP behavior for spoofing or traffic interception, so it matters in local-network monitoring and segmentation.

Teams use this concept when diagnosing communication failures, documenting dependencies, and distinguishing application behavior from lower-level transport or naming services.

Related concepts include Routing.

Additional Resource: IANA Protocol Registries.