ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Host Identity Protocol

Hello there!

So you know how every time you go to a friend's house, they need to know who you are before letting you in? Well, the internet works the same way! When you want to visit a website, the website needs to know who you are before letting you in to see their content.

That's where Host Identity Protocol (or HIP for short) comes in. HIP is like a special ID card for you to use on the internet. It helps websites know who you are so they can let you in to see their stuff.

But how does it work? Well, when you first get on the internet, your computer gets a special address called an IP address. This is like a phone number for your computer. With HIP, you also get another special address called a Host Identity. This is like a second phone number that websites can use to verify who you are.

So, when you want to visit a website, you give them your Host Identity. The website can then check to see if it matches the IP address you're using. If they match, then they know it's really you and they let you in to see their content.

HIP is important because it helps make the internet more secure. Without HIP, people could pretend to be someone else on the internet and do bad things. But with HIP, it's harder for them to do that because they need to have the right Host Identity to prove who they are.

And that's Host Identity Protocol explained like you're 5!