Do you know what IP is? IP now has two versions, which are IPv4 and IPv6. The IPv4 uses a 32-bit address space while the IPv6 uses a 128-bit address scheme. So do you know any information about IPv4 vs IPv6 addresses? Read this article, you will get the answer. You can get other useful information by viewing MiniTool websites.
What Is IP?
IP address is the abbreviation of Internet Protocol address, which is used for addressing host or network interface identification and location. As a numerical label, IP is assigned to each device connected to a computer network that communicates using IP.
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), and five regional Internet registries (RIRs) responsible in their designated territories for assignment to end users and local Internet registries manage the IP address space globally.
Most networks combine IP with a more advanced protocol called Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which allows virtual connections to be made between the target and the source. And there are two versions of IP.
What Is IPv4?
As the first version of IP, the IPv4 uses a 32-bit address scheme, which allows the address space over 4 billion addresses. The function of IPv4 is to distinguish devices that use an addressing system on the network.
It first appeared in the ARPANET in 1983, but it is still the most widely used IP version to connect devices to the Internet and it carries 94% of Internet traffic. However, IPv4 addresses are run out.
Features of IPv4
- Connectionless protocol
- Allows simple virtual communication layers to be created on diverse devices
- It requires less memory and is easy to remember the address
- Millions of devices already support the agreement
- Provide video library and conference
What Is IPv6?
In the early 1990s, since IPv4 addresses were running out, IP was redesigned, called IPv6. As an evolution of IP, it uses a 128-bit address space, which supports 3.4×1038 unique address space.
The aim of IPv6 is to allow the Internet to grow steadily in the aspect of the number of connected hosts and the total amount of data traffic transmitted. However, IPv6 is not backward-compatible with IPv4.
Feature of IPv6
- No longer NAT (Network Address Translation)
- Stateful and stateless configuration
- Private address conflict no longer occurs
- Better multicast routing
- Simpler header format
- Simplified, more efficient routing
- Support for quality of service (QoS), also known as “flow labeling”
- Built-in authentication and privacy support
- Flexible options and extensions
- Easier management
Ipv4 VS Ipv6
So what are the exact differences between IPv4 vs IPv6? Actually, they are both used for identifying machines connected to a network, but the way they work is different. Here I will list the differences between IPv4 vs IPv6.
| Differences | IPv4 | IPv6 |
| Size of IP address | 32-bit | 128-bit |
| Addressing method | IPv4 is a numeric address whose binary bits are separated by a dot (.). | IPv6 is an alphanumeric address, and its binary bits are separated by a colon (:). It contains hexadecimal, too. |
| Header fields’ number | 12 | 8 |
| Header filed length | 20 | 40 |
| Addresses type | Multicast, unicast and broadcast. | Multicast, unicast and anycast. |
| Checksum | Yes. | No. |
| VLSM suppor | Yes. | No. |
| Number of classes | Only 5 different classes from A to E. | Unlimited number. |
| Network configuration | The network needs to be configured manually or using DHCP. IPv4 had several coverages to handle Internet growth, which demand more maintenance. | Support automatic configuration. |
| Best feature | Widely used NAT (Network Address Translation) devices that allow single NAT address can mask thousands of non-routable addresses for end-to-end integrity. | IPv6 allows direct addressing due to a large amount of address space. |
| Compatibility with mobile phone | Not suitable for dot-decimal notation. | Suitable for colon-separated notation. |
