[Roger Oteng Baah]

IPv4 has lasted for decades because of its simplicity, flexibility and the creative workarounds developed to extend its lifespan. Technologies like Network Address Translation (NAT) and Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) allowed billions of devices to share limited public addresses efficiently. Its backward compatibility, low cost of maintenance and deep integration into global internet infrastructure made it practical for organizations to keep using IPv4 rather than switch to newer protocols.