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Typically, internet service providers have a large pool of public IP addresses that they assign to their customers, more specifically, to their routers. This is the address that sites and users can see and identify.Įach public IP address is unique and cannot be duplicated. Public (or external) IP is used to connect to the internet. With private IP addresses, devices can communicate with each other within the local network, but they cannot access the internet. The router needs to identify every device, so it generates private addresses for each one. The first one is used within the local network while the second is used outside of it - on the internet.Ī computer, a phone, a tablet is assigned a unique address within the local network.
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Unlike IPv4, this version uses not only numeric but also alphabetic addressing methodsįor example: 1001: 2db2: 33a3: 0000: 0000: 4a4e: 5555: 6666.Įveryone who connects to the internet has two IP addresses: private and public. IPv6 consists of eight groups, separated by colons. The main difference between IPv6 and IPv4 is the length of the address space - 128 bits instead of 32. It solves the problem of lack of IP addresses as it can provide an almost infinite number of device addresses. This is a new protocol that replaces the fourth version. The address consists of 4 parts separated by dots. The length of the IPv4 address space is 32 bits. There are more than four billion addresses in the IPv4 address pool, but due to the development of the internet and the growth of traffic, this number is not enough. The fourth version of IP has been in operation since 1982 and is still the main protocol used on the internet today. IPv6 and IPv4 are different versions of the Internet Protocol.
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