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 |