Which is better IPv4 or IPv6?

Which generation of protocols do you prefer? 4 or 6. Or 5? Oh no, 5 is experimental, 4 is finishing, so 6?

Let's figure out what it is, why IPv6 was invented if IPv4 existed, and where the Internet's development is heading.

Even if you have an encyclopedic knowledge of the field, a short journey into today's trends will be fascinating.

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Where did the new protocol come from and why?

The familiar fourth-generation packet-switched network layer protocol uses 32-bit addresses on the internet. It was developed when the internet emerged, for small networks. No one imagined the internet would capture minds and business processes so globally, and the original address space became small and quickly exhausted.

These circumstances presented a challenging challenge for engineers in the early 2000s. Solutions for changing the internet infrastructure needed to be devised and submitted for global discussion. The overall supply of IPv4 address blocks left critically tight deadlines and severe limitations on the allocation of emerging ranges.

In 2011, IPv6 was introduced in beta testing format with a PR campaign, and activists named the day “International IPv6 Day”.

Companies participating in the testing of the new development added the new protocol to their websites for one day to collect analytics and implement it with instructions and recommendations.

A year later, the global launch took place, and now both protocols exist side by side.

Although IPv6 was initially launched over 20 years ago, widespread adoption of IPv6 networks has only occurred in recent years.

Technical details

Now the most controversial part.

Technical details: If one protocol were identical and were replaced by a more advanced one over time, everyone would likely forget about the previous one and use only IPv6.

The situation with protocols is slightly different than with next-generation software or devices. For private IP, interaction with the global IP address space and the Internet occurs through NAT. This set of functions in a private network is performed by a gateway that receives packets from devices and translates the source IP to the global IP address before exiting to the external network.

After this, it tracks where the packet should return, to which private address. This system allows not just one, but several devices to connect to the internet using a single IP address. This is the familiar Wi-Fi network at home or at your favorite restaurant around the corner. It would seem that this is the solution, a way for IPv4 not to need to be expanded with a new protocol.

However, NAT does not fully solve the security problem.

Because a private network hides hosts behind a NAT gateway from external networks, and as a result, a separate private network is created in which both the devices and the network itself are controlled.

NAT, as a solution that provides a mechanism for supporting multiple hosts and subsequently connecting many individual devices to the Internet, allowed IPv4 to scale while blocking unauthorized connections and intrusions.

Which, in general, was implied by the 32-bit structure from the very beginning.

Returning to the issue of insecurity, let's consider the cost of data breaches for businesses, governments, and the private sector.

Information security, confidentiality, and protection are paramount for software and IoT system developers today. By creating new architectures using the IPv4 protocol, engineers address only simple and known attack vectors.

Let's stop at IPv6?

Firstly, the new protocol was originally conceived as a solution to overcome the 32-bit space. Using a 128-bit address—a hexadecimal string—as its core, IPv6 is capable of providing 320 undecillion unique IP addresses, which is ten to the sixty-sixth power, or 80 billion, billion, billion times more than IPv4.

Secondly, based on the figures, it becomes clear that the new protocol provides for the developmentInternet of Things, in which, in theory, three hundred million connection units could be authorized per person.

A good reserve, but this is not about quantity per se, but about looking into the future and about the fact that technology is advancing at such a pace that only a large quantitative reserve can cover possible inventions.

This eliminates the need for private networks, as each device can have its own unique address, regardless of how it connects to the Internet.

However, this state of affairs has its own risks, because a direct connection does not guarantee complete cybersecurity, just as a connection using a fourth-generation protocol does not.

If you're not comfortable with each access point having its own IP address, then it would seem that IPv6 offers no advantages. Whether IPv4 or IPv6, the network and devices still need to be properly configured to be truly secure.

Why is it difficult to choose?

On the other hand, the impact of various transition and tunneling methods on IPv6/IPv4 performance is still being closely studied during testing, with the benefits of automatic tunneling methods being assessed. Dual-stack methods, based on experiments and network data collection, have demonstrated superior performance compared to these options. Furthermore, IPv6 boasts high throughput and low RTT.

Thus, for example, when designing IoT products where security is a top priority, the IP protocol version on which the entire architecture is based is not of primary importance. However, when considering performance and technical nuances, it is.

Let's reason further.

The introduction and widespread adoption of IoT creates various logistical challenges. Specifically, remotely connecting to devices located on the other side of the world—for upgrades or repairs—is precisely what NAT and firewalls block. This is especially true with the need to monitor the current provider's status.

One way to make this comfortable is to create a private network for devices and servers to connect securely to each other, isolating them from the public internet.

• • Because Internet service providers control network configuration, the typical approach for IoT companies is to use private

  APN.

• • And connections to a virtual private network or alternatives

  VPN

• A dedicated gateway is assigned an APN, and traffic from an end device using a private APN is separated from the cellular traffic of other clients.

  VPNs then establish a secure connection between the gateway and the local network or cloud to send and receive packets without the Internet and remote access to devices.

Clearly, private APNs and VPNs come with significant setup and maintenance costs, primarily because the ISP needs to set up dedicated network elements and maintain them.

For IoT deployments or connected software developers starting with a small fleet of devices, these costs and complexities can sometimes prevent them from considering a private network-centric approach. Because the best way to maximize deployment security is to remove endpoints from the public internet, investing in solutions that route your data where cyberattackers can't reach is crucial. This is a great, but expensive, option.

An old friend is good and a new one too

Both IPv4 and IPv6 are viable network layer options for IoT projects today and fit seamlessly into the existing order.

When we discuss security across the two protocols, the answer and best solution revolves around configuration. When planning a complete transition to a new protocol, we consider the investment, as many devices and networks are unable to migrate to the new technology without updating or upgrading—and this must be taken into account.

All of the above implies the existence of the previous protocol along with the new and progressive one – if not forever, then for a long time.

The transformation of network environments today has a tangible impact on the Internet, and we will see how networks and, ultimately, the user experience of websites and the Internet as a whole will continue to evolve and improve.

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