An IP address stands for Internet Protocol address and is also called an IP number or Internet address. There are two versions of IP address, IPv4 and IPv6
IPv4
- IP stands for Internet Protocol and v4 stands for Version Four (IPv4).
- IP version four addresses are 32-bit integers which will be expressed in decimal notation.
- Example- 172.16.214.1
Characteristics of IPv4
- IPv4 could be a 32-Bit IP Address.
- IPv4 could be a numeric address, and its bits are separated by a dot.
- The number of header fields is twelve and the length of the header field is twenty.
- It has Unicast, broadcast, and multicast styles of addresses.
Advantages of IPv4
Reliable Security: IPv4 allows data encryption to maintain security and privacy
Flexible: Routing has become more scalable and efficient because addressing is aggregated more effectively
Huge Routing tasks: Ipv4 currently has 85000 functional routers
IPv6
IPv6 stands for Internet Protocol version 6.
It uses a 128-bit addressing system, allowing for approximately 3.4x1038 addresses.
Example- 2345:0425:2CA1:0000:0000:0567:5673:23b5
With the rapid expansion of the internet, there is a global shortage of IPv4 addresses. To combat this, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has developed IPv6, the most recent version of the internet protocol, intended to replace IPv4.
Characteristics of IPv6
Larger Address Space. In contrast to IPv4, IPv6 uses 4 times more bits to address a device on the Internet.
Simplified Header.
End-to-end Connectivity.
Auto-configuration.
Faster Forwarding/Routing.
IPSec.
No Broadcast.
Anycast Support.
Advantages of IPv6
More Efficient Routing
More Efficient Packet Processing
Directed Data Flows
Simplified Network Configuration