[Mamolebo Seboka]

IPv6 is the new version of the internet protocol which identifies devices on a network and route data across the internet.

We need IPv6 because its address size is 128-bit compared to IPv4 which size is 32-bit, address count IPv6 is 340 undecillions while IPv4 is 4.3 billion. IPv6 no NAT needed and security is built-in whereas in IPv4 security is optional.

[Mamolebo Seboka]

IPv4 has lasted this long due to recycling, sharing and smart allocation of addresses (DHCP): devices do not keep IPs forever, IPs are reused when devices disconnect. Which means the same address can serve many users over time. Furthermore, private IP addresses reduce demand for public addresses and CIDR and subnetting improved efficient and allocation.

IPv4 is not sustainable due to limited address space and too much complexity: it uses 32-bit addresses, about 4.3 billion addresses in total, that is not enough for today’s world with billions of new devices (phones and smart devices). Therefore, sharing IPs is not enough anymore. Heavy reliance on NAT increases complexity and breaks end-to-end connectivity.