Difference between IPv4 and IPv6

Difference between IPv4 and IPv6

4 mins read2.2K Views Comment
clickHere
Updated on Nov 8, 2023 18:00 IST

Ever wonder how your devices are connected to a computer network. There is always an IP address assigned to each devices that uses IP protocol for communication. In this article we will discuss IPv4 and IPv6 version of Internet Protocol.

Table of Contents

What is Internet Protocol?

An IP address is a unique value assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the IP protocol for communication. An IP address is an identifier for a specific device on a particular network. The IP address is also called an IP number or Internet address.

IPv4 and IPv6 are the versions of the Internet Protocol in which IPv6 is the latest version.

Must Explore: Computer Networks and Internet Protocol

Must Explore: Diploma in Computer Networking

What is IPv4?

The fourth version of IP, IPv4, sets the guidelines for computer networks that operate on the idea of packet exchange. It can use an addressing system to identify devices connected to the network uniquely. Any time a device connects to the Internet (whether it’s a switch, PC, or another device), it receives a particular IP address in the form of a number, like the one below, 190.150.250.49. The 32-bit IPv4 address system stores 2^32 addresses (4.19 billion addresses).

The number of end users connected to the Internet is growing, which causes IPv4 addresses to run out. IPv6, the new Internet addressing system is currently being implemented to meet the demand for more Internet addresses.

Must Read: What is an IP address?

Must Read: What is VPN?

Features of IPv4:

  • It uses a Connectionless protocol
  • IPv4 requires less memory as there are a limited number of addresses
  • Security of IPv4 allows encryption to maintain security and privacy
  • IPV4 addresses are redefined. This permits flawless encoding
  • Offers video library and conferences

Must Read: What is the difference between Internet and Intranet?

What is IPv6?

In 1999, IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) was introduced due to concerns that there would soon be a shortage of IP addresses. It permits data and communication transfer through a network. A total of 2^128 Internet addresses are supported by IPv6, a 128-bit IP address. Utilizing IPv6 not only tackles the issue of scarce network address resources but also removes obstacles that prevent various access devices from connecting to the Internet. An example of an IPv6 address

might be as follows:

2ffe:1800:fe11:4545:0000:0000:0000:0001.

Features of IPv6:

  • Larger Address space compared to IPv4
  • Stateful and Stateless Address Configuration
  • Efficient and Hierarchical Addressing
  • Routing Infrastructure
  • Better support for QoS
 

Difference between IPv4 and IPv6

Parameter IPv4 IPv6
Size IPv4 is a 32-bit length address represented in decimal format. IPv6 is a 128-bit length address represented in hexadecimal format.
Classification 32-bit is divided into 4 octets. Each octet is separated by a dot (.) 128-bit is divided into 8 parts and each part has 2 octets. Each octet is separated by a colon (:)
Class IPv4 addresses are divided into 5 classes Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class E IPv6 addresses are not divided into classes
Configuration It supports manual and DHCP configuration It supports auto-configuration and renumbering configuration
Connection End-to-end connection integrity is not achieved in IPv4 End-to-end connection integrity can be achieved in IPv6
Routing Information Protocol IPv4 supports RIP at the router end As IPv6 uses static routes RIP is not supported by IPv6
Fragmentation Fragmentation is done at the sender and receiver ends both Fragmentation is done at the sender’s end
Packet Flow Packet flow identification is not available Packet flow identification is available, also   the flow label field in the header
Checksum Checksum filed is present in IPv4 which is used to detect corruption in the header of IPv4 packets As UPD checksum is mandatory in IPv6. Hence header checksum is redundant
Transmission It Broadcasts the data It multicast and anycast the data. Thus, efficient network operation is provided

Conclusion

IPv4 has 4.20×109 unique network addresses whereas IPv6 has 3.4×1038 unique addresses which solve most of IPv4’s limitations and are removed by IPv6, which also adds additional capabilities and functionality to simplify the task of the network administrator. The modifications are intended to improve the management experience in areas where IPv6 and IPv4 are notably different.

Related Reads

Ubiquitous Computing with Examples and Real-life Analogy
Ubiquitous Computing with Examples and Real-life Analogy
This article explains Ubiquitous Computing with examples and Real-life Analogy. It also includes applications and challenges of Ubiquitous Computing.
Parallel Computing: Real-life Analogy
Parallel Computing: Real-life Analogy
In this article you will learn about Parallel Computing with real-life analogy. This article includes architecture, applications, future of Parallel Computing. You will also learn the difference between Parallel Computing...read more
High-performance Computing: Real-life Analogy
High-performance Computing: Real-life Analogy
In this article you will learn High-performance Computing with real-life analogy. This article covers architecture, working applications and future of High-performance Computing.

FAQs

What is Internet Protocol?

An IP address is a unique value assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the IP protocol for communication. An IP address is an identifier for a specific device on a particular network. The IP address is also called an IP number or Internet address. IPv4 and IPv6 are the versions of the Internet Protocol in which IPv6 is the latest version.

What is IPv4?

The fourth version of IP, IPv4, sets the guidelines for computer networks that operate on the idea of packet exchange. It can use an addressing system to identify devices connected to the network uniquely. Any time a device connects to the Internet (whether itu2019s a switch, PC, or another device), it receives a particular IP address in the form of a number, like the one below, 190.150.250.49. The 32-bit IPv4 address system stores 2^32 addresses (4.19 billion addresses).

What is IPv6?

In 1999, IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) was introduced due to concerns that there would soon be a shortage of IP addresses. It permits data and communication transfer through a network. A total of 2^128 Internet addresses are supported by IPv6, a 128-bit IP address. Utilizing IPv6 not only tackles the issue of scarce network address resources but also removes obstacles that prevent various access devices from connecting to the Internet.

Download this article as PDF to read offline

Download as PDF
clickHere
About the Author

This is a collection of insightful articles from domain experts in the fields of Cloud Computing, DevOps, AWS, Data Science, Machine Learning, AI, and Natural Language Processing. The range of topics caters to upski... Read Full Bio

Comments

We use cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse the site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.