The Version 6 network protocol is an improved replacement for Version 4, which will soon run out of address space. In this article, Ipv4 vs Ipv6, we will look at the differences between the two protocols Version 6 or Version 4. Sure, Version 6 is better than its predecessor, but it does not have backward compatibility with Version 4, and this is its main drawback.
The Internet is a massive network of computers across the globe. Billions of devices are always connected to transmit and receive data. For example, when you access a website, you are connected to the computer on the webserver that hosts the site you want. You send a request to the server, and in response, it gives you the page of the website.
You do not just send a request to a random server to return any website to you. You enter the name of the desired site in the address bar of the browser, which then requests the IP address of the server with this name from DNS. Already on the received IP, a connection is established, and the exchange of information between devices begins.
Contents
The version 4 protocol is old, and during its creation, many aspects of its security were not taken into account. He suggests that programs that use the network will take care of security. However, Version 6 is designed to make packet transmission more secure; checksums and packet encryption have appeared here.
Version 6 is designed to provide end-to-end encryption for maximum connection security. The IPSec extension includes cryptographic protocols to provide secure data transfer. The AH and ESP protocols are part of IPSec, which allows you to verify the integrity and reliability of data. ESP also includes data privacy. Another protocol is IKE (Internet Key Exchange), which is designed to configure and set common security attributes between two devices.
IPSec is one of the main components of Version 6, while for Version 4 it is implemented as an optional add-on. But the question of what is the difference between version 4 and version 6 is not limited to this.
The Version 6 packet header does not contain extra fields. It uses only eight tracks, compared to 13 in the case of Version 4. Additional areas are now optional header extensions. The header size is 40 bytes, which is two times larger than Version 4. The fewer extra fields in the header, the easier the packets will be processed in the router. Therefore, their transfer will be more efficient.
The main difference between Version 4 and Version 6 is the address space, which Version 6 has a lot more. But these are far from all the differences between them. Other points make Version 6 the best choice for use on the Internet.
Version 6 has a feature that allows machines and routers to:
If you are wondering what is better than Version 6 or Version 4, then the answer is obvious. But even though Version 6 has existed for more than ten years, its deployment has not gained momentum, yet because the address space is ending.