Networking•6 min read•beginner

IP Addresses: IPv4 vs IPv6

A deep dive into Internet Protocol addressing, why IPv4 addresses are exhausted, and how IPv6 solves address depletion.

What is an IP Address?

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a unique identifier assigned to every device connected to a network. It acts as both the device's name and location, allowing packets to be addressed to and received from specific endpoints.

IPv4: The 32-Bit Standard

IPv4 addresses are 32 bits long, written in dotted-decimal notation (e.g. 192.0.2.1). This architecture supports 4.3 billion unique addresses. Due to the exponential growth of smartphones, servers, and smart devices, the global pool of unallocated IPv4 addresses was fully exhausted in the 2010s, requiring Network Address Translation (NAT) hacks to share addresses.

IPv6: The 128-Bit Solution

IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long, represented as eight groups of hexadecimal digits separated by colons (e.g. 2001:db8::1). This system supports 340 undecillion addresses, eliminating the need for NAT, simplifying routing tables, and providing built-in support for security extensions.

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