Every device on the internet needs an address. The original addressing system, IPv4, has about 4.3 billion addresses, which seemed endless in the 1980s. In February 2011, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) handed out its last free blocks to the regional registries. The registries then ran out one by one; RIPE NCC, which serves Europe and the Middle East, made its final allocations in November 2019.
What that means today
IPv4 addresses are now bought, sold and leased like any scarce resource. That is why a dedicated IPv4 address often appears as a separate line on a hosting invoice, and why providers ask what you need extra addresses for. Many mobile and home networks already share one public IPv4 address between thousands of users through carrier-grade NAT.
IPv6 is the answer
IPv6 has a practically unlimited number of addresses. It has been standardised for decades and is widely deployed by mobile networks and large content providers. A large share of traffic to major services now arrives over IPv6.
What businesses should do
- Make your public services reachable over IPv6 as well as IPv4: websites, APIs, mail.
- Add AAAA records in DNS alongside your A records once your server has an IPv6 address.
- Apply the same firewall rules to IPv6 that you apply to IPv4. A common mistake is a well-protected IPv4 interface next to a wide-open IPv6 one.
- Ask before buying IPv4 addresses whether you really need them. Many uses, such as hosting several websites, do not require one address per site.
How IDX helps
IDX VPS Cloud servers support IPv6, and our dedicated server request form lets you specify how many IPv4 addresses you need and whether you want IPv6. If you are unsure how many addresses your design needs, our team can advise before you order.
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