A magnetic stripe is a type of card stripe that is used for data storage. It is found on a variety of cards including credit cards, identification cards, and access control cards. The stripe is made up of tiny magnetic particles that can be magnetized in different directions to store data. Some common synonyms for magnetic stripe include magstripe, magstrip, magnetic card stripe, and swipe card stripe. Each of these terms refers to the same type of stripe technology. Although other data storage formats have emerged over the years, the magnetic stripe remains a popular and widely-used technology for accessing and storing information.