IPv4

What does IPv4 mean?

IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) is the fourth version of the Internet Protocol (IP), the core protocol for the internet. It is a widely used communication protocol that defines a set of rules and methods for data transmission over packet-switched networks.

IPv4 addresses are 32-Bit numbers, which can be expressed AS four octets (Bytes) in dotted-decimal notation, such as “192.168.1.1” or “2001:0db8:85a3:08d3:1319:8a2e:0370:7334”. Each octet represents an 8-bit binary number, ranging from 0 to 255. These four octets together uniquely identify each device connected to the internet using IPv4.

Applications

IPv4 is the dominant version of the Internet Protocol and is used in various applications, including:

• Web browsing: IPv4 addresses enable communication between computers and web servers, allowing users to access websites and online resources.
• Email: IPv4 facilitates the sending and receiving of emails by identifying and routing emails to their intended recipients.
• Online gaming: IPv4 is used in multiplayer online games to establish connections between players and servers, enabling real-time gameplay.
• Video conferencing: IPv4 allows devices to connect over the internet for video conferencing, facilitating face-to-face communication and collaboration.
• File sharing: IPv4 enables the transfer of files between devices over the internet, such as sharing documents, images, and videos.

History

The development of IPv4 can be traced back to the early days of the internet. In the 1970s, the United States Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) implemented a primitive version of IP known as NCP (Network Control Program).

In 1981, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) published RFC791, which defined IPv4 as the standard protocol for the internet. IPv4 was widely adopted in the 1980s and became the foundation of the modern internet.

In the late 1990s, it became apparent that the IPv4 address space was becoming exhausted due to the rapid growth of the internet. Consequently, the IETF developed a new version of the Internet Protocol known as IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6). IPv6 was designed to provide a much larger address space and other improvements over IPv4.

Despite the development of IPv6, IPv4 remains the dominant version of the Internet Protocol today, with the vast majority of internet-connected devices using IPv4 addresses. However, there is a gradual transition towards IPv6, and it is expected that IPv6 will eventually replace IPv4 as the primary protocol for the internet.