IPv6 is the newest Internet Protocol. What is it, what are its advantages, and whether it is the future, we will see today in our article.
What does IP mean?
The Internet protocol, or IP as it is more often known, is a set of communication rules that govern the structure of data sent between networks or over the Internet.
Thanks to IP, it is simple to set the most appropriate structures for packets to convey data until they are delivered. It also has several addressing mechanisms and can route packets of information across networks. As a result, IP addresses are used to transfer data packets from their origin to their destination.
IPv6 – definition
IPv6 is the 6th version of the Internet Protocol and the most recent IP edition. It’s important to note that IPv6 has been around for over two decades. It was initially published in 1995. The massive increase in the number of devices desiring to connect to the Internet showed that IPv4 would not be able to keep up. IPv6 was born as a result. On the other side, people were not ready to give up IPv4. This is, unfortunately, a time-consuming procedure.
These addresses are divided into eight pieces, each with four hexadecimal digits. Furthermore, each sequence is 16 bits in length. The hexadecimal number system, unlike the decimal number system, employs sixteen characters: the digits 0 to 9 as well as the letters “a,” “b,” “c,” “d,” “e,” and “f.”
The following is an example of an IPv6 address: 4001:2bf:3a9c:1002:0057:3005:8f2e:6d2b
Benefits of using IPv6
Internet Protocol version 6 has many advantages. Some of them are as follow:
- If you own a network or a website, IP addresses are vital for domain name resolution. Maybe you’re still relying on IPv4 and A DNS records for this. You will, however, migrate to IPv6 and AAAA sooner rather than later.
- For the provision of various Internet services such as web hosting, application hosting, and so forth.
- For setting up network routing at business or at home. Older devices may not be able to support the new Internet Protocol version 6. This could be the only drawback.
- The IPv6 protocol is compatible with the future 5G Internet. Begin preparing for a smooth transition right now.
The differences between IPv4 and IPv6
The new IPv6 protocol uses 128-bit addresses, which means we’ll have more available IP addresses than we’ll ever need. There are over a thousand addresses compared to IPv4’s 4 billion addresses.
Another fantastic innovation is IPSec. It’s an authentication method that encrypts communication while verifying the packet sender. The recipient will be able to verify the data’s origin this way.
SLAAC (stateless address auto-configuration) is an acronym for stateless address auto-configuration. In a new network using IPv6, the SLAAC can be used to automatically configure new hosts without the requirement for a DHCP server. The IPv6 address’s 64-bit network prefix will be assigned, and the device will be able to connect to the network. IPv6 addresses can still be utilized with DHCP.
Conclusion
IPv6 is not the most popular Internet Protocol, but it is the future. Evolution never stops, and success depends on adapting to changing conditions and norms. So don’t waste time and give it a try!