IPv6

Internet Protocol Version 6

IPv6 is a newer version of the Internet Protocol (IP) that was developed to address the shortage of available IPv4 addresses. It uses 128-bit addresses, which allows for a virtually unlimited number of unique addresses. IPv6 is gradually being adopted as more devices are connected to the internet and the demand for unique addresses increases.

An IPv6 address is a 128-bit numerical address that consists of eight 16-bit blocks separated by colons. For example, the following is a valid IPv6 address:

2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334

Each block of an IPv6 address can have a value between 0 and 65535, which allows for a virtually unlimited number of unique addresses. IPv6 addresses can be written in full notation (e.g. 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334) or in shorthand notation using hexadecimal notation (e.g. 2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334).

• Abbreviation: IPv6