An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a set of numbers that enables computers and other devices to communicate on the Internet. That means sending or receiving information online without the IP address is impossible.
Currently, there are two main IP types – IPv4 and IPv6. What is the difference between the two? How does each function? This article will compare IPv4 and IPv6 in detail and show how to protect your online connections.
What is IPv4?
Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) was introduced in 1981 as the fourth internet protocol version. However, despite the advent of IPv6, most of the world’s traffic is routed through IPv4. The protocol uses a 32-bit address supporting more than 4 billion IP addresses.
Usually, an IPv4 address contains four numbers ranging from 0 to 255, separated by full stops. Most likely, your current IP address is an IPv4 address.
Here is a typical example of an IPv4 address “193.165.1.1”