IP6 or no IP6, which is better?

just want to know if should I enable IP6 or not. which is better?
thank you

You can assume that IPv4 is easier to understand, maintain and to use. I don’t use IPv6 for my servers.

Only when you no longer ask yourself this question because you know exactly the difference between the two IP versions should you get around to change it if you need it. :wink:

To learn more about the differences between IPv4 and IPv6, and to understand the fundamentals of both protocols, you can explore various online resources.
One of the best resources to learn about the differences between IPv4 and IPv6 is the Internet Society’s website. They provide comprehensive information on the topic, including tutorials, whitepapers, and technical documents. You can visit their website at IPv6 Basics, News, Guides & Tutorials | Internet Society to access their resources and gain a deeper understanding of the transition from IPv4 to IPv6.

Much luck,
ernolf

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2024 will be the year of IPv6, and also the year of the Linux desktop, I swear :wink:

Seriously. My Internet connection is IPv4 only and I have never had any issues like not being able to reach a service that I need. On the other hand, I often hear about issues from people who have implemented dual stack, and IPv6 only is not yet a realistic option.

However, one should probably get to grips with IPv6 by now, because one day when you suddenly need it because you can’t get a public IPv4 address in a specific situation, you’ll be glad if you know at least the basics already.

On the other hand, at least in Europe and North America, it’s still possible to get a public IPv4 address in most places if you really want it, in fact many corporate networks, public WiFi networks or even cellular providers are still IPv4 only. So there are still far more situations where you can’t get IPv6 connectivity than situations where you really need IPv6.

However, things like IPv6 only services, IPv6 only VPSs and CGNAT are defenitly on the rise and it will probably be more difficult and definitely more expensive to self-host services on IPv4 in the future.

But then again, there are big cloud providers, (looking at you Microsoft!) who still haven’t managed to consistently provide IPv6 for all their services even in 2024. :wink:

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I use dual stack, and no problem so far. One advantage I can think of is with talk, that with ipv6, it supports direct connections and you don’t have to use the TURN server to relay connections like for NAT users.

I also thought about testing and stuff, that you can then easily start a new virtual server with a dedicated ipv6. Sure you can use reverse proxies, or just use local ipv4 addresses (but then it difficult with ssl certs), …

This can save you money and the ipv4 addresses a likely to get more and more expensive.

In Europe, there are already a few countries with important ratios of ipv6 usage, and even mobile operators have ipv6 enabled by default. For private setups, perhaps a ipv6 only setup is thinkable soon (and as a fallback connect to a VPN to get ipv6).

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Why am I asking this question?

Well, first of all, it’s probably a performance issue.

Second, most people set up their servers behind a router at home. So I’m curious if I don’t need to set up a port forward if I’m using IPv6? Would this make it easier to follow?

it was painful for me to setup this server. never has been so difficult. I’m a developer and Devops, still get a lot lof issues due to my ISP router and devices limitation. Later I realized that all these issues were due to my network environment. None of the problems were with the product.

thanks a lot of people here try to help me. but it is hard to help because every home network enviroment is different. it wasted a lot of time.

until yesterday, I fianally get a very easy solution for the install.

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No, you do the port forward because you have one public ipv4 address and all the devices have to share this single address (called NAT). With port forwarding, you let one client use exclusively this port. Now, many end users don’t have a dedicated ipv4 address and the whole mechanism is already implemented at provider level (carrier-grade NAT), so you can’t even do port forwarding. Either use just ipv6, or you need a proxy service, VPN, …

For ipv6, the whole traffic can be forwarded and all imaginable ports can be used since every client get its own public ipv6. You can set up an additional firewall to put restrictions on the connections.

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that’s true. I described differences in IPv4 and Ipv6 and hosting behind a Fritzbox here in detail

That’s why I think if we use IPv6, then we don’t need port forward, only open ports and get a DDNS which supports IPv6. the whole setup will be much easier.

If you are outside your local network, the performance mainly depends on the upload speed offered by your ISP. The extra latency that NAT adds is negligible.

However, if NAT Loopback / NAT Reflection is used to access the server, performance can definitely suffer on the LAN side. But this can easily be circumvented by using a local DNS server.

Well, I guess how easy it gets depends a lot on how familiar you are with networking in general and IPv6 in particular. As soon as you want to do anything more than connect a few devices to a router to provide them with Internet access, you’ll probably have to spend some time learning at least the basics of networking, and probably some specifics about the particular thing you want to do as well.

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Consider your network needs and infrastructure capabilities before deciding on IPv6. While IPv6 offers a larger address space, aiding future scalability, but enabling it should be based on compatibility with your network and internet service provider. Evaluate your requirements and current setup to determine if IPv6 is beneficial for your situation or not.