IPv6 is version 6 of the Internet Protocol. It uses 128-bit addresses written as eight groups of hexadecimal digits separated by colons, giving an enormously larger address space than IPv4.
Why it matters
IPv6 removes the need for address sharing and is widely supported by mobile networks, cloud providers and browsers. A site reachable only over IPv4 still works for most users, but publishing an AAAA record lets IPv6-only users connect directly. A broken IPv6 setup can cause slow or failed loads for those visitors.
Example
2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001
2001:db8::1 (shortened form)
DNS: example.com. IN AAAA 2001:db8::1Leading zeros can be dropped and one run of zero groups replaced with ::.
Common mistakes
- Adding an AAAA record but not configuring the server or firewall to listen on IPv6.
- Forgetting to monitor the IPv6 path separately from IPv4.
- Using
::more than once in an address, which is invalid.
Related
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