The term node has several meanings in computer science.

In the context of computer networks, a node is a location where processing of information occurs. A computer can be a node, as can a printer. Every node in a network has its own unique address, which is referred to as a Data Link Control (DLC address) or a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

In the context of the tree structure arrangement of hierarchical data, a node is a data point that is linked to other nodes of data. Each node represents a collection of information. The information in each node is retained in memory at a single location.

Trees are often constructed from a single node known as a root, or from a set of nodes--a forest of trees. The system of linked nodes generates a multilevel data network .

Nodes can also exist in graphs. Each data point in the graph represents a node. Similar to a tree, the data points in a graph are linked to other nodes.