What is the Difference Between IPv4 and IPv6?
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are numerical labels assigned to each device connected to a computer network or the internet. Devices use IPs to communicate with each other. Similar to phone numbers in a telephone network, IPs are unique numerical sequences for every device on the network. IP addresses serve two main purposes. Firstly, they identify devices and users on the network. Secondly, IP addresses allow computers to communicate over the internet (send and receive data). IP specifies the packet-switching scheme for addressing data and the technical format for these packets. When combined with Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), IP enables the creation of virtual connections between devices in the network.
Brief Guide to IPv4 and IPv6
Currently, there are two types of IP addresses - IPv4 and IPv6. Although they serve the same purpose, they are quite different from each other. Let's take a closer look at the differences between these two types of IP addresses.
What is IPv4
The first version of IP is IPv4. IPv4 was developed in the early 1980s and first deployed by ARPANET in 1983. It is the most widely used version of the Internet Protocol (IP) today, carrying over two-thirds of internet traffic.
IPv4 addresses are expressed in dotted decimal notation. It uses a 32-bit addressing scheme, with each of the four parts representing an eight-bit section. Although this address scheme allows for the creation of 232 unique addresses (over 4 billion different addresses), the total number of available IPv4 addresses is limited.
Initially, this number of addresses was considered inexhaustible, but today, the situation is different. The last batch of IPv4 addresses was released by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) in 2011, and by 2015, the United States had officially run out of IPv4 addresses. Despite the exhaustion of addresses being a major issue, IPv4 still forms the backbone of the internet, with over 90% of network traffic using this protocol.
Current solutions include reusing IP addresses and Network Address Translation (NAT), where a single unique IP address represents a group of devices. Nevertheless, the only real long-term solution is to transition to IPv6 addresses.
What is IPv6
IPv6 is the latest version of the Internet Protocol (IP), developed in the late 1990s to meet the need for more IP addresses and to eventually replace IPv4. IPv6 addresses are represented using hexadecimal digits separated by colons. IPv6 uses a 128-bit addressing scheme, consisting of 8 groups of 16 bits each. The IPv6 addressing scheme allows for the creation of approximately 3.4×1038 addresses. Although the number of addresses is enormous, it is still finite and will eventually be exhausted, but they will last us a very long time into the future.
Differences Between IPv4 and IPv6
While both IPv4 and IPv6 are internet communication protocols, they have distinct differences:
- IPv4 uses a 32-bit IP addressing scheme, whereas IPv6 uses a 128-bit IP addressing scheme.
- IPv4 addresses are in dotted decimal format, while IPv6 addresses use hexadecimal alphanumeric format.
- IPv4 binary bits are separated by dots (.), while IPv6 binary bits are separated by colons (:).
- The minimum packet size for IPv4 is 576 bytes, whereas for IPv6, it is 1208 bytes.
- IPv4 supports broadcasting, whereas IPv6 does not.
- IPv4 has 12 header fields, while IPv6 has 8 header fields.
- For IPv4, configuration is required. All newly installed systems must be configured to connect to other systems. For IPv6, configuration is optional, allowing you to configure the system based on capabilities.
- IPv4 has a checksum field, whereas IPv6 does not.
- To map to MAC addresses, IPv4 uses the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), while IPv6 uses the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP).
- Because IPv4 uses dotted decimal notation, it is not suitable for mobile networks. IPv6's hexadecimal notation makes it ideal for mobile devices.
These are just a few differences between IPv4 and IPv6, so the question becomes - which one is better for you?
IPv4 vs. IPv6: Which One to Choose?
Firstly, IPv4 and IPv6 cannot communicate with each other. Secondly, it is evident that IPv4 addresses will soon be exhausted, whereas IPv6 is the future. With faster speeds, greater security, and an almost limitless pool of unique IP addresses, transitioning to IPv6 seems like the obvious choice. So why are we still using IPv4? The most crucial issue is that although IPv4 and IPv6 can coexist and operate on the same network in what is known as dual-stack mode, they cannot communicate with each other. Why not switch over immediately? As mentioned earlier, over 90% of internet traffic uses the IPv4 protocol. A sudden switch would make users unable to access most applications and websites. Although IPv6 is the future, the transition from IPv4 should be completed gradually, and dual-stack mode helps facilitate the transition from the old IP type to the new IP type. Since IPv4 and IPv6 devices cannot communicate, dual-stack mode allows users to seamlessly access websites or web content that may reside on either IPv4 or IPv6 servers.
What Do You Need to Get Started with IPv6?
- An IPv6-compatible operating system. The latest versions of Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X are all compatible with IPv6.
- Currently, most routers on the market do not support IPv6, but some do, so check your router's specifications.
- The final hurdle to cross in this transition is the Internet Service Provider (ISP). You may have the right operating system and router, but if your ISP does not support IPv6, you won't be able to move forward.
Conclusion
IPv6 is the future of the internet. However, this transition is not simple and will take some time. Meanwhile, if you can find a way to leverage the current situation, it would be advantageous. If you need the best IPv4 or IPv6 proxies, contact us to learn how to take advantage of this transition and stand out in the competition!
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