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What is IPv6?

The internet runs on addresses. Every device that connects to a network needs a unique IP address to send and receive data. For decades, these addresses followed a format called IPv4, which was created with a finite pool of about 4.3 billion addresses. 

Even though 4.3 billion sounds like a lot, the fact is that we have smartphones, smart home devices, and billions of users worldwide. The supply has effectively run out. 

The solution is IPv6. Because it uses a longer address format, it supports an astronomically larger number of unique IP addresses. As of now, it is enough to assign one IP address to every device on earth several times over. 

An IPv4 address looks like this: 192.168.1.1, but an IPv6 address looks like this: 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334.

There has been a gradual transition from IPv4 to IPv6. Most modern devices and networks support both formats simultaneously in a setup known as dual-stack networking. In fact, your device may already have both an IPv6 address and an IPv4 address, both running at the same time with you noticing. 

For most users, IPv6 works invisibly in the background. The practical differences are minimal day to day, but it’s what makes the continued growth of the internet possible.