Differences Between IPv6 and IPv4

The IP address is the third layer address in the TCP/IP Protocol Stack, given to each device connected to a network. In the Internet layer of the TCP/IP Protocol Stack, each device in a network has a unique address known as the IP address.

There are two versions of TCP/IP: IPv4 and IPv6.

Most networks use the IPv4 version to assign a logical address to devices in a network. However, the future is with IPv6.

In this tutorial, you will learn the differences between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The second part explains the different classes of IPv4 addresses.

Let us check the fundamental differences between IPv4 and IPv6.

1. Length
   

   IPv4 is a 32-bit address broken into four octets separated by a period. IPversion6 is a 128-bit long address and can give more addresses than IPversion4 offers. Examples of IPversion4 and IPversion6 addresses are below.

   
   

   IPversion4 addressing: 10.0.0.1 or in binary form 00001010 00000000 00000000 00000001

   
   

   IPv6 addressing: E3D7:0000:0000:0000:51F4:9BC8:C0A8:6420

   
   
   
2. Representation
   

   IPv6 is a 128-bit binary number represented in hexadecimal format. IPv4 is a 32-bit binary number represented in decimal format.

   
   
3. The capacity of possible addresses:
   

   IPv6 can give more addresses than IPv4.

   
   
4. Checksum field:
   

   In the IPv4 addressing header, we can see the checksum field. IPv6 does not have it.

   
   
5. Protocols Supported:
   

   Another difference between IPv4 addressing and IPv6 addressing is the supported protocols. IPversion4 supports ARP and IGMP. IPv6 supports NDP and MLD.

   
   

IPv4 addresses have five classes. They are:

1. Class A addresses(Range from 1 to 126)
   
   
2. class B addresses (Range from 128 to 191)
   
   
3. Class C addresses (Range from 192 to 223)
   
   
4. class D addresses (Range from 224 to 239)
   
   
5. Class E addresses (Range from 240 to 254)
   

You have learned the differences between IPv4 and IPv6. Let me summarize the differences (in a table), and I believe this table will help you understand better.

Difference	IPv4	IPv6
Popularity	More Popular	Less Popular For now
Number Of Addresses	Less	More
Representation	32-bit binary number	128-bit binary number
Protocols Supported:	ARP and IGMP	NDP and MLD
Checksum field:	Present	Absent
Network Address Translation (NAT)	Supports	Absent
Packet Header	Smaller	Larger

Right now, the majority of networks use IPv4. But it will change soon. The future is with IPv6.