IPv4 vs IPv6: What's the Difference and Why It Matters

IPv4 has been the backbone of the internet since 1983, but with the explosion of connected devices, we ran out of IPv4 addresses. IPv6 was developed to solve this. IPv6 offers 340 undecillion addresses, built-in IPSec security, simplified packet headers, and no need for NAT. Despite these advantages, adoption has been slow because of legacy infrastructure. Today, about 40% of global internet traffic uses IPv6.