IPv6 iptables Rules
What’s the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
IPv4 and IPv6 are two versions of the Internet Protocol (IP) that define how devices are addressed on a network. The key difference lies in their addressing capability:
- IPv4: Uses 32-bit addresses, limiting the total number of unique addresses to about 4.3 billion. This limitation has become a challenge due to the vast growth of internet-connected devices.
- IPv6: Employs 128-bit addresses, providing a virtually infinite amount of unique addresses – enough for every device on the planet, for the foreseeable future.
Can I use both IPv4 and IPv6?
Yes, many devices and networks can support both IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously, also known as dual-stack. This allows for a smooth transition from IPv4 to IPv6 as the internet infrastructure upgrades.
When will IPv4 be completely replaced by IPv6?
There’s no exact timeline for a complete switch to IPv4. However, IPv6 adoption is steadily growing to address the limitations of IPv4. As more devices and internet service providers (ISPs) migrate to IPv6, it will become increasingly important for users to be familiar with it.
IPv6 Iptables Rules
The increasing emergence of internet devices across the globe compelled an improvement of the number space, thus the development of the IPv6. In contrast to its predecessor IPV4, which has a certain number of sets of unique address spaces, IPV6 has virtually an uncountable number of sets of unique address spaces. This change is needed due to the ways in which firewalls are configured when having multiple addresses per device. This article aims to examine the best practices of IPv6 iptables implementations and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the IPv6 firewall rules that need to be applied.