Each device on the Internet is given a unique network address known as its ____.

In computer networking, every device connected to a network must be uniquely identifiable so that data sent across the network reaches the correct destination. This identification is provided by a network address assigned at the Network Layer of the OSI/TCP-IP model, which routers use to locate and route data across interconnected networks.

The Internet is a global network of interconnected networks that runs on the TCP/IP protocol suite. On the Internet, the network-layer address used to route data toward a device is called its Internet Protocol (IP) Address. An IP address (a 32-bit number in IPv4, or a 128-bit number in IPv6) is bound to a device's network interface, and routers use it, hop by hop, to forward packets toward that device. (In practice, a device may sit behind Network Address Translation, NAT, sharing one public IP address with other devices on the same private network, with port numbers distinguishing the individual devices behind that shared address; even so, the IP address remains the network-layer identifier used for Internet-wide routing, which is exactly what this term refers to.)

• Media Access Control Address: a 48-bit hardware identifier assigned to a network interface card, operating at the Data Link Layer.

• Specific Address: does not appear in networking standards (IETF, IEEE, IANA) as a named address type; it has no defined bit-length, notation, or assigning authority.

• Port Address: a 16-bit number that operates at the Transport Layer to distinguish individual processes or applications on a device.

Hence, the network-layer address used to route data to each device on the Internet is its Internet Protocol (IP) Address.