Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) uses 32-bit addresses, allowing for approximately 4.3 billion unique IP addresses. As the internet grew, this exhaustion became imminent.

The IPv6 Solution

IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, theoretically allowing for 3.4 × 10^38 unique addresses. While adoption has been slow due to incompatibility with IPv4 infrastructure, IPv6 provides native support for IPSec, simplified header formats, and eliminates the need for Network Address Translation (NAT).