What is an IP Address? Understanding IPV4 and IPV6

What You Need to Know About IP Addresses

In today’s world of networks, computers, and other devices, one of the most important components of communication between them are IP addresses. An IP address is a unique identifier assigned to each device connected to a network. They help to ensure that information is directed where it needs to go across networks. Two types of commonly used IP addresses are IPV4 and IPV6.

IPV4 Addresses

IPV4 stands for Internet Protocol version 4 and is used by most of the internet today. It is an older type of address system and supports up to 4.3 billion globally unique IP addresses. IPV4 addresses look like this: 192.168.25.120. The maximum number of IP addresses available is becoming a limitation, as more and more devices are being added to the internet every day.

IPV6 Addresses

IPV6 stands for Internet Protocol version 6 and is the newer version of IP addressing. It was designed to solve the problem of global IP address scarcity that we are facing due to the growth in internet users. IPV6 addresses are 128 bits long, they look like this: 3ffe:1900:4545:3:200:f8ff:fe21:67cf. This longer length also allows for more flexibility, allowing for more networks, subnets, and hosts than with IPV4.

Which Should You Use?

Both IPV4 and IPV6 addresses can be used simultaneously on the internet, so it is important to understand which type to use for your environment. For most applications, it's best to stick with IPV4. However in cases where more address space is needed, such as when connecting to a wide area network or connecting to the cloud, then IPV6 should be used.

It is important to understand the differences between IPV4 and IPV6 to ensure efficient communication between devices on networks.