What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?

The Internet Protocol (IP) standard provides a unique address that devices use to identify and communicate with each other on a network. and are formally adopted for general use.

IPv4 is the fourth iteration of the IP standard. IPv4 is the dominant network layer protocol on the Internet. IPv4 is a data-oriented protocol that is used on a packet-switched internetwork; for example, Ethernet. IPv4 uses a 32-bit addressing scheme, represented by four 8-bit (0–255) numbers separated by periods; for example, 121.145.241.001.

IPv6 is the sixth iteration of the IP standard. IPv6 is a network layer protocol that exchanges data across a packet-switched internetwork. IPv6 increases the address space for networked devices from 32 bits to 128 bits, so that each electronic device can have its own address; for example, 3FFE:2900:D005:1001:12AA:10FF:FE28:9C5A.

Related Links:

  • What IPv6 address notations are acceptable?