IPv4 and IPv6

Internet Protocol Address

An internet protocol address, commonly known as an IP address, is a numeric code connected to a computer network and uses IP for communicating. An IP address is managed globally by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). The network administrators provide an IP address to different devices. The internet protocol address mainly performs two functions, namely: 

1. Identifying its network interface.
2. Telling the location of the user of the device.

Versions of internet protocol

There were many versions of IP numbered from v1 and v9, but today we mainly use two versions of IP i.e. 

1. Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). 
2. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).

IPv4

The Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) was the first version deployed for production on SATNET in 1982 and on the ARPANET in January 1983. It is still used to route most Internet traffic today. It was divided into 2 parts: the network identifier and the rest field. The first part of the address, which was the network identifier, was the most significant part. It had a maximum of 256 network identifiers allowed in it; this was found to be insufficient and was replaced by classful networking in 1981. This type of networking had classes, namely A, B, C, D, E, which were assigned different roles in the address. For instance, classes A, B, C are given the function of network identification while D and E are for multicast addressing and for future applications, respectively. The IPv4 header is variable in size due to the optional 14th field (options). The IHL field contains the size of the IPv4 header; it has 4 bits that specify the number of 32-bit words in the header. The minimum value for this field is 5, so the minimum size IPv4 is 60 bytes.

IPv6

The Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the successor to the Internet, Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4); unlike the previous version, it has a 128-bit header that is quite large compared to the previous version. IPv6 every address has a scope. 

These scopes are mainly divided into:

1. Unicast.
2. Multicast. 

Unicast addresses are further divided into 2 parts:

1. Link-local addresses: their scope is limited to the local level or local area. These cannot be accessed outside the local network.
2. Unique local addresses: They have global scope, but they are not globally administered because only specific devices in the administration are allowed in the addresses.

Here, the second octet identifies the address scope, i.e., the multicast packet’s domain should be propagated. Some of the already defined scopes are given below:

IPV4 is necessary to encrypt data to ensure privacy. It takes security measures to encrypt data in its address packets.

Advantages of IPV4

1. It is acceptable by almost every device in the world.
2. IPv4 takes great measures to deliver data packets right to its host. 

Advantages of IPV6

1. More Efficient Routing.
2. Simplified Network Configuration.
3. Support For New Services.

Difference between IPV4 and IPV6: 

Conclusion

In this article, we learned about the concepts of Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), their advantages and the difference between the two.