What is IPv6?
// the next generation of internet addressing
Overview
IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol, developed to solve the address exhaustion problem of IPv4. It was standardized in 1998 (RFC 2460) and has been in growing deployment ever since.
Address format
An IPv6 address is a 128-bit number, written as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits, separated by colons.
2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
Consecutive all-zero groups can be collapsed with ::, so the above can be shortened:
2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334
128 bits allows for 2¹²⁸ ≈ 340 undecillion unique addresses — enough to assign billions of addresses to every person on Earth, with an almost unimaginable amount left over.
Key differences from IPv4
- No NAT required — every device can have its own globally unique public address, simplifying network design.
- Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) — devices can automatically generate their own IPv6 address from the network prefix, without needing DHCP.
- Built-in security — IPv6 was designed with IPsec support in the core spec (though its use is still optional in practice).
- Improved routing — a simpler header format and hierarchical addressing reduce the burden on internet routers.
Do you have IPv6?
Many ISPs and mobile networks now support IPv6, but adoption is uneven. The iptool home page attempts to detect both your IPv4 and IPv6 address simultaneously. If no IPv6 address is shown, your network or ISP may not yet support it — or it may be disabled on your device.
As of 2024, roughly 40–45% of global internet traffic is carried over IPv6, with that share growing steadily.