What is the difference between MAC address and IP address?

MAC (Media Access Control) address is a 48-bit hardware address burned into network interface cards, used at Data Link layer for local network communication, doesn't change. IP address is a logical address assigned by network, used at Network layer for routing across networks, can be changed. MAC addresses are used within a LAN (Ethernet), IP addresses for end-to-end communication. ARP maps IP to MAC addresses.