IPv4 vs IPv6 Address - The Difference | Intellipaat

There are two alternative forms for IP addresses, IPv4 and IPv6, with the main distinction being that IPv6 addresses can have a far higher number of unique creations than IPv4 addresses.

Four parts of an IPv4 address, separated by dots, are written as follows: 45.48.241.198. Each segment includes an eight-bit binary integer from 0 to 255 when represented in standard Base 10 numerals.

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These four integers are written in normal decimal notation, each one separated by a dot. However, as computers operate primarily with binary numbers (zeroes and ones), each IPv4 address reflects an 8-bit binary number, meaning that none of them may exceed 255. (111111 in binary).

Given that IP addresses have been since 1983, it is very likely that you have seen IP addresses similar to that one previously. The more recent protocol, IPv6, is gradually replacing IPv4, and its address is as follows: 2620:cc:8000:1c82:544c:cc2e:f2fa:5a9b

There are eight numbers instead of four, and they are divided by colons instead of dots. They are all numbers, yes. Since IPv6 addresses are expressed in hexadecimal (Base 16) format, which requires 16 distinct symbols to represent Base 10 integers 1 through 16, there really are letters in there. The ones utilised are the letters A–F and the numbers 0–9. These digits each stand for a 16-bit binary number, as well as the distinction between them and the 8-bit elements of an IPv4 address seems to be the primary driver for the development of IPv6.

IPv4 addresses are 32-bit values, and the maximum number of potential addresses of that length is the 232 indicated above—about 4.3 billion. When the number of internet-connected devices increased, it started to loom as a disruptive incident even though it had looked sufficient in the days of the internet.

The fear that IPv4 addresses would run out was what propelled the creation of IPv6. Since IPv6 addresses being 128-bit values, there are 2128 potential addresses. This number is termed 340 undecillion but we won't bother writing it out because it is 39 digits long.

In reality, IPv4 addresses still are extensively available and in use. This has to do with how private networks can be set up with their own constrained set of IP addresses and how IP addresses are allocated to network-connected devices.