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This article was updated on January 21, 2026.
We communicate on a daily basis using IP addresses, but as non-IT people, we know very little about them. Without internet protocols, however, data exchange via the internet would not be possible. Many exciting areas such as interconnection, the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing would also be unthinkable without the new IPv6 standard. It is therefore worth taking a closer look at internet protocols - if only to be able to configure your own router. In our article, we explain the differences between the two internet protocols and look at the advantages of the new IPv6 standard.
Important definitions
Internet protocols
Internet protocols enable the switching of data packets in a decentralized, packet-oriented network, known as "routing". Data packets are addressed via an IP address in conjunction with the subnet mask. An IP address is a unique sequence of numbers that is assigned to each device in a TCP/IP network. This means that each network participant has its own IP address.
Static and Dynamic IP Addresses
A distinction is made between static and dynamic IP addresses. Static IP addresses are set manually, as they do not need to be changed afterwards. For example, servers receive a static IP address from the Internet Service Provider (ISP), as they must be permanently accessible.
Normal computers and PDAs, on the other hand, are assigned dynamic IP addresses as they do not need to be permanently accessible. Dynamic IP addresses are assigned automatically by a DHCP server. DHCP stands for "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol" and is used to manage and distribute IP addresses in a TCP/IP network. With DHCP, each host can request the IP address configuration from a DHCP server and configure itself automatically. The dynamic IP address can therefore change when the PC is restarted. The request starts automatically as soon as a DHCP server or router is available for this computer.
IPv4 vs. IPv6
There are currently two variants of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. A 32-bit IPv4 address is represented by four quartiles, i.e. decimal numbers separated by dots (e.g. 192.168.13.1). An IPv6 address, on the other hand, is 128 bits long, contains letters (a-f) as well as numbers (0-9) and is significantly larger. In our IPv4 Subnetting article has already been discussed in more detail. In this article, we want to take a closer look at the newer Internet protocol IPv6.
The new IPv6 standard has also been available to end users in Germany since World IPv6 Day 2011. However, the specifications were already finalized in RFC 2460 in December 1998.
IPv6 initially appears much more complex than IPv4 due to its eight-member hexadecimal notation (e.g. 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:8a2e:0070:7334), but can be simplified somewhat using rules. For the above example, the notation 2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:70:7334 would be shorter, as zeros can be omitted at the beginning of a block or for the entire block. Roughly speaking, the first 64 bits in IPv6 determine the network address, similar to the Net-ID in IPv4, and the last 64 bits determine the Extended Unique Identifier (EUI-64™), which is comparable to the Host-ID in IPv4.
As we already know, the IPv4 protocol has a maximum size of 32 bits for its IP addresses. This results in around 4.2 billion available combination possibilities for IP addresses. That is 2³² (2 multiplied by the number of bits 32). This sounds like a large number at first, but in fact the maximum number of IPv4 addresses has already been used up for several years. This is because the number of available servers and end devices is increasing rapidly. For this reason, the IPv6 protocol was introduced in 1999. With its 128 bits, the new IPv6 standard has a scope of around 340 sextillion IP addresses. That is a number with 36 zeros. This number is hard to imagine, so let's compare it with the surface area of the earth, which is around 5.114 km². With IPv6, every grain of sand on Earth could have its own IP address and there would still be some left over. So we won't run out of IPs any time soon. The switch from IPv4 to IPv6 is taking place, but slowly, as a large proportion of old hardware is still connected to the network via IPv4. However, in addition to sufficient IP addresses for all end devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), the introduction of the IPv6 standard brings further advantages. We will take a closer look at these advantages in the following section.
Advantages of IPv6
More efficient routing
IPv6 reduces the size of routing tables, making routing more efficient and hierarchical. With IPv6, the prefixes of ISP customers' networks are combined into a single prefix. This single prefix is then advertised on the IPv6 Internet, reducing the size of routing tables outside the gateway. In IPv6 networks, the Subnetting, i.e. the fragmentation, is processed by the source device and not by the router.
More efficient package processing
The simplified packet header of IPv6 makes packet processing more efficient. Compared to IPv4, IPv6 does not contain a checksum at IP level. This means that the checksum does not have to be recalculated at every router hop. Most transport layers that process end-to-end connectivity also have a checksum to enable error detection. However, the IPv6 header has a negative impact on Ethernet connections due to higher bandwidth consumption. For VoIP, 15-30 percent more bandwidth should be planned.
Directed data flows
The multicast support of IPv6, on the other hand, has a positive effect on network bandwidth. In contrast to broadcast, multicast allows bandwidth-intensive data packet flows (such as multimedia streams) to be sent to several destinations at the same time, saving a lot of network bandwidth. Disinterested hosts no longer have to process broadcast packets. In addition, the IPv6 header has a new field called "Flow Label", which can be used to identify packets that belong to the same flow.
Simplified network configuration
As already mentioned, automatic address configuration (address assignment) is already integrated in IPv6. A router sends the prefix of the local connection in its router announcements. A host can generate its own IP address by adding its MAC address (link layer), which has been converted to the 64-bit "Extended Universal Identifier" (EUI) format, to the 64 bits of the local connection prefix. This means that the IP configuration for IPv6 does not actually require a DHCP service. Instead, there is the Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC).
Support for new services
By eliminating NAT (Network Address Translation), true end-to-end connectivity is restored at the IP level, enabling new, valuable services. Peer-to-peer networks are easier to create and maintain and services such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and Quality of Service (QoS) become more robust.
Security
IPSec, which provides confidentiality, authentication and data integrity, is integrated into IPv6. IPv4 ICMP packets are often blocked by corporate firewalls due to their potential to carry malware. However, ICMPv6, the implementation of the Internet Control Message Protocol for IPv6, may be allowed as IPSec can be applied to the ICMPv6 packets.
Why is IPv6 adoption delayed?
Larger address spaces, more efficient routing and extensive networks - IPv6 sounds like a dream. However, global IPv6 adoption is still lagging behind at 43-48 %, while some countries such as France, Germany and India have significantly higher adoption rates of 80 %, 75 % and 74 % respectively.
One reason for the faster adoption of IPv6 is that mobile operators and major internet service providers support the protocol. However, the reluctance of ISPs in the United States is preventing greater adoption. About 30 % of websites are IPv6-enabled (IPXO). Cloud providers such as AWS expanded their IPv6-native networks in September 2025.
High infrastructure costs, the lack of immediate ROI, the success of NAT as a transitional solution and the need to train IT staff are further reasons why companies are reluctant to introduce the IPv6 standard.
Conclusion
In recent years, IPv6 has evolved from a theoretical improvement to a practical reality. With its 340 sextillion available IP addresses, the protocol not only solves the problem of IPv4 address scarcity, but also brings measurable benefits: more efficient routing thanks to smaller routing tables, faster packet processing thanks to simplified headers, native multicast support for bandwidth-intensive applications and integrated security functions through IPSec.
The global adoption rate of 43-48 % shows that IPv6 is no longer a project for the future - especially in Germany with an impressive rate of 75 %, we are well on the way. Mobile network operators and cloud providers are driving development forward and are increasingly creating IPv6-native environments. For companies, this means The question is no longer whetherbut when the changeover takes place.
The transition will still take a few years, as many organizations will have to operate in dual-stack environments until all services and partners are IPv6-capable. However, the investment in IPv6 infrastructure is already paying off - not only for future-proofing, but also for opening up new opportunities in areas such as IoT, edge computing and modern network architectures.
ScaleUp is a business hosting company with over 27 years of hosting experience. We operate state-of-the-art colocation and server housing spaces as well as cloud infrastructures certified according to the IaaS-SCS standard based on open source technologies (OpenStack, Kubernetes) at several data center locations in Hamburg, Berlin, Nuremberg and Düsseldorf. We are happy to assist you available for queries.
