[Palesa Mokgadi]

IPv4 has managed to last this long because of solutions that helped stretch its limited address space. Things like Network Address Translation (NAT), private IP addresses, and CIDR made it possible for multiple devices to share one public IP and use addresses more efficiently. These workarounds, along with the slow shift to IPv6, kept IPv4 going far longer than anyone expected.

With that being said, IPv4 isn’t sustainable anymore. The number of devices connected to the internet has exploded, and the available IPv4 addresses simply can’t keep up. Relying heavily on NAT also makes networks more complicated and limits how smoothly devices can connect with each other. With the rise of IoT and growing global connectivity, it’s clear that IPv6 is needed to handle future demand and provide a more flexible, scalable internet.