Differences between IPv4 and IPv6

The following table summarizes the major differences between IPv4 and IPv6:

 

Feature IPv4 IPv6
Address length 32 bits 128 bits
Address representation 4 decimal numbers from 0-255 separated by periods 8 groups of  4 hexadecimal digits separated by colons
Address types unicast, multicast, broadcast unicast, multicast, anycast
Packet header 20 bytes long 40 bytes long, but simpler than IPv4 header
Configuration manual, DHCP manual, DHCP, auto-configuration
IPSec support optional built-in

Download our Free CCNA Study Guide PDF for complete notes on all the CCNA 200-301 exam topics in one book.

We recommend the Cisco CCNA Gold Bootcamp as your main CCNA training course. It’s the highest rated Cisco course online with an average rating of 4.8 from over 30,000 public reviews and is the gold standard in CCNA training: