What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?

[Danlucy]

I have seen more times about these terms in VPS package offers but they are not clear to me, could any one explain what is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6? Does a VPS need a IPv6 and how do they work?

 

[anhbloginc]

Basically, they are the same.

As you know, if you are using VPS, you might know about IP server. In this case, you can use IPv4 as it's supported in most DNS server as well as devices. And because IPv4 is very popular.

However, the unique number of IPv4 are limit.

4,294,967,296
According to Reserved IP addresses there are 588,514,304 reserved addresses and since there are 4,294,967,296 (2^32) IPv4 addressess in total, there are 3,706,452,992 public addresses. And too many addresses in this post.

And IPv4 is running out of stock.

IPv6 is released to replace IPv4. It's longer and mixed between numbers and digits.

 

[smallbudgethosting]

smallbudgethosting

Last I checked v6 was a better design than v4.

 

[tarunap]

1. IPv4 addresses are 32 bit length. IPv6 addresses are 128 bit length.
2. IPv4 addresses are binary numbers represented in decimals. IPv6 addresses are binary numbers represented in hexadecimals.
3. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is available to map IPv4 addresses to MAC addresses. where as in IPv6 Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is replaced with a function of Neighbour Discovery Protocol (NDP).
4. IPSec support is only optional in IPv4, IPv6 has inbuilt IPSec support.
5. IPv4 - Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is used to manage multicast group membership. IPv6 - IGMP is replaced with Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) messages.

 

[RDO Servers]

The info abovebis correct, now here is what it means to you:

When someone visits your domain, DNS tells the computer where to find the website using a IP address.

MyDomain.co > located at 192.168.1.1
Thus can be a IPv4 or IPv6 address. Works the same way, IF the network your on supports IPv6.

There are a lot of internet service providers that have older equipment that does not support IPv6. If your server/website only uses IPv6, and your users connect to the internet using a provider that is IPv6 only, they will not be able to access your site.

IPv4 addresses are running out, or already depleted so it is hard for hosts to get more IPv4 addresses (we have been on the waiting list for months). IPv6 is gaining popularity and good to have, just makes sure you also have IPv4 for backwards comparability, or use CloudFlare for DNS which will run your site on IPv4 and IPv6

 

[Danlucy]

Danlucy

How to distinguish a IPv4 or IPv6 address, for example I am using an unmanaged VPS how to know by commands that I am using both or just one?

 

[DotNetNerd]

DotNetNerd

IP6 addresses are much larger, so that there can be more IP addresses

Example:
IP4 - 192.168.1.1
IP6 - 2001:0db8:0000:0042:0000:8a2e:0370:7334

 

[hostslim]

IPV4 and IPV6 don't communicate with each other

 

[MackkJackk]

Hello I am new to this forum. Hope to get some genuine answers of my queries.

 

[hmb-robert]

The Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is a protocol for use on packet-switched Link Layer networks (e.g. Ethernet). IPv4 provides an addressing capability of approximately 4.3 billion addresses.

The Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is more advanced and has better features compared to IPv4. It has the capability to provide an infinite number of addresses. It is replacing IPv4 to accommodate the growing number of networks worldwide and help solve the IP address exhaustion problem.

 

[MackkJackk]

The IPV6 is 128-bit and practically speaking this address is infinite in number like if assign to every individual its personal IP Address it doesn't make any difference to its existence.