Most websites run on IPv4, the older internet addressing system, and that's unlikely to change anything about your day-to-day hosting. IPv6 is a newer system built to solve IPv4's limited address space, but for a typical business website, it rarely changes how your site performs or how visitors reach it. Here's what the difference actually means for you.
What Is IPv4?
IPv4 is the original addressing system the internet has used since the 1980s. It uses addresses like 192.0.2.10, written as four numbers separated by dots. There are only about 4.3 billion possible IPv4 addresses, and the world ran out of new ones to hand out years ago. That's one reason most shared hosting accounts share a single IPv4 address between many websites.
What Is IPv6?
IPv6 is the newer system designed to eventually replace IPv4. Its addresses are longer and use letters and colons, for example 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334. IPv6 has an effectively unlimited supply of addresses, so every device and website could get its own unique one without needing to share.
Does It Matter for Your Website?
For most businesses, no. Both IPv4 and IPv6 get visitors to your website. Your hosting server is reachable by whichever address type a visitor's device and network support, and most servers, including shared hosting, are reachable over IPv4 by default. A visitor on an IPv6-only connection still reaches an IPv4-only server automatically, through translation built into their internet provider's network, so they won't notice any difference.
- Website speed: IPv4 vs IPv6 makes no measurable difference in how fast your website loads.
- Search rankings: search engines don't rank IPv6-enabled sites higher or lower than IPv4-only sites.
- Shared hosting: nearly all shared hosting plans run on IPv4. You don't need to request or configure anything for your site to work normally.
Where IPv6 Can Show Up: DNS Records
The one place IPv6 comes up in everyday hosting is DNS. If you ever need to point your domain at a server that has an IPv6 address, you'd add that using an AAAA record rather than the standard A record used for IPv4. Most businesses never need to add one unless a specific service explicitly asks for it.
If you're not sure whether your website needs an IPv6 address, the answer is almost always no. It only matters if a specific application or service you're integrating with explicitly requires it.
Should You Request an IPv6 Address?
If your hosting plan or application doesn't specifically call for one, there's no practical benefit to requesting an IPv6 address for a standard business website. Focus instead on the basics that actually affect visitors: a valid SSL certificate, fast-loading pages, and correctly configured DNS records.
For a related comparison, see Dedicated IP vs Shared IP Hosting: Which Do You Need?