IPv6: The Future of the Internet That’s Quietly Already Here

IPv6 was once envisioned as the next great leap for the internet — a future-proof upgrade designed to solve IP address shortages, simplify networks, and make online connections faster and more secure. Yet, decades later, most of the world still runs on IPv4. So, what really happened?

Every device that connects to the internet needs a unique identifier known as an IP address — essentially a digital address that tells other devices where to send data. When you visit a website, your device sends a request to a server’s IP address, and that server sends information back to yours. Without IP addresses, the web simply wouldn’t function.

“IP” stands for Internet Protocol, and the numbers “v4” and “v6” refer to its versions. IPv4 has been the backbone of the internet since its early days, but it’s running out of space. The IPv4 system uses a 32-bit structure, allowing for about 4.3 billion unique addresses — a number that seemed vast in the 1980s but quickly fell short as smartphones, laptops, routers, and even smart home devices came online.

To solve this, IPv6 was introduced. Using a 128-bit system, IPv6 offers an almost limitless supply of addresses — around 340 undecillion (that’s 340 followed by 36 zeros). But IPv6 wasn’t just about more numbers. It also brought smarter features like automatic device configuration, stronger encryption, and improved routing ef

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