IPV4 VS IPV6 : A DEEP REVIEW
Internet Protocol, or IP, is the base for internet communication; it is how unique addresses can be assigned to devices on a network. Today, there are two versions being used: IPv4 and IPv6. The following is a comprehensive comparison that will detail differences, advantages, and applications.
WHAT IS IPV4?
IPv4 is also called Internet Protocol Version 4. It came in the year 1981, and has 32-bit address space in itself, supporting nearly 4.3 billion unique IP addresses.
IMPORTANT IPV4 FEATURES:
32-Bit Addressing: The internet addresses are subdivided using dots like 192.168.1.1
Limited Address Space: In recent times, it has reached near exhaustion mainly due to increased Internet usage.
NAT : Allows a group of devices to share the same public IP.
Simple Scheme of Addressing: Easy to understand and simple to implement.
Broadcasting Communication: Data is sent to all nodes that are present in a network.
Static or Dynamic Configuration by DHCP: Either assigned statically or through DHCP, which is Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.
Low Security : Doesn’t have in-built security measures.
Increases Network Congestion: This is because the available address space is low, also dependent on NAT.
Fragmentation: Fragments the packets while in transit.
Checksum Field: Intended to detect errors in packet headers.
What is IPv6?
IPv6 Internet Protocol Version 6 was invented in 1998 as a successor to IPv4, due to address depletion. IPv6 employs a 128-bit address system and thus has about 340 undecillion (3.4 × 10³⁸) unique IP addresses.
MAIN CHARACTERISTIC OF IPV6:
128-bit Addressing: hexadecimal notation with colons; 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334.
Large Addresses: accommodate the exponentially rising number of Internet devices.
No NAT: a unique global IP address can be assigned to every device.
Simplified Routing Tables: better performance and efficiency.
Multicasting instead of Broadcasting: data transmits in the most efficient manner.
Security through the Inbuilt Feature: The encryption and authenticity of the information are provided through IPSec-Internet Protocol Security.
Auto-Configuration: It can self-generate an IP address by every device through SLAAC-Stateless Address Auto-configuration.
More Efficient Packet Processing: Simplifies header structure.
Better Mobility Support: Optimized for mobile networks.
No Header Checksum: Increases efficiency and reduces processing time.
MAIN DIFFERENCE B/W IPV4 OR IPV6
Characteristic
IPv4
IPv6
Address Size
32-bit
128-bit
Address Representation
Decimal, dotted (e.g., 192.168.1.1)
Hexadecimal, colon-separated (e.g., 2001:db8::ff00:42:8329)
Address Count
~4.3 billion addresses
Almost unlimited (3.4 × 10³⁸)
NAT Required
Yes
No
Security
Optional IPSec
Mandatory IPSec
Broadcast
Supported
Not Supported (Multicast instead)
Configuration
Manual / DHCP
Auto-configuration supported
Performance
Faster due to NAT
Slightly slower due to direct addressing
CONCLUSION:
Decades have been spent with IPv4, but the future lies with IPv6. With its much higher address space, intrinsic security, and better efficiency, IPv6 will revolutionize internet communication. Even if it’s slow because of compatibility issues and high infrastructure cost, it is moving ahead, promising a much more secure internet.