An IP Address is a numerical value assigned to a device connected to a computer network. IP Address is the specific address for your device and it allows devices and computers to communicate with each other over the internet. There are two types of IP Addresses, IPv4 and IPv6. Both types of IP Addresses are important and have their own significance.
IPv4
IPv4 is the first version of the IP Address that was introduced. It is a 32-bit address and is the most widely used IP Address type and it has over 4 billion IP Addresses and counting. It is the primary Internet Protocol Address and has about more than 90% of the total internet traffic.
Features of IPv4
- 32-bit address
- Carries over 4 billion IP Address
- Requires less memory
- Remembering an IPv4 address is much easier
- Supported by almost every device
- Offers video libraries and conferences
IPv6
IPv6 is the latest version of IP Address that was developed to fulfill the need for more IP Addresses. It is a 128-bit address and has a 340 undecillion unique address space, which is too much. It is currently new and being rolled out slowly on different devices.
Features of IPv6
- 128-bit address
- Has a 340 undecillion unique address space.
- Each device has a separate address
- Support for quality of service (QoS)
- Support for autoconfiguration
Difference Between IPv4 and IPv6
Both the IPv4 and IPv6 are types of IP Addresses but IPv4 is the most commonly used IP Address. The main difference between both of these versions of IP Addresses is that IPv4 is a 32-bit address consisting of four numbers separated by periods and each number can have any value from 0-255 while IPv6 is a 128-bit address which is written in hexadecimal and consist of numbers and alphabets which are separated by colons but the main purpose why both of these are used is for identification of machines connected to a network. Both of these perform the same function but they differ in the way they perform the function.