What Is a Server IP Address: IPv4 vs IPv6 Explained

A server IP address is a unique numerical identifier that allows devices on the internet to find the server and exchange data with it. IPv4 uses addresses such as 192.0.2.1 and has a total pool of about 4.3 billion addresses, which has already been exhausted, while IPv6 uses addresses such as 2001:db8::1 with an almost unlimited number of possible combinations.

What Is an IP Address and Why Does a Server Need One?

An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a network identifier for a device on the internet or a local network. For a server, the IP address is what website visitors, mail systems, SSH clients, and other services use to connect to it.

A domain name, such as forcevps.com, is simply a human-friendly layer over an IP address: the DNS system translates the domain name into the actual IP address whenever a request is made.

What Is IPv4?

IPv4 is the fourth version of the Internet Protocol and has been widely used since the 1980s. It uses addresses made up of four numbers from 0 to 255 separated by dots. For example:

203.0.113.10

The total number of IPv4 addresses is limited to about 4.3 billion. Due to the rapid growth in the number of internet-connected devices, this address pool has already been officially exhausted by regional internet registries, leading to a shortage and rising costs for IPv4 addresses.

What Is IPv6?

IPv6 is the next generation of the Internet Protocol, developed to solve the problem of address exhaustion.

An IPv6 address can look like this:

2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334

It consists of eight groups of hexadecimal characters separated by colons. This format provides an enormous address space — 2¹²⁸ possible addresses — which in practice means an almost inexhaustible supply of unique IP addresses.

IPv4 vs IPv6: What Is the Difference?

Does a Server Need IPv6 Today?

In practice, most servers and websites still work perfectly well with IPv4, as it is supported by virtually all networks and devices.

IPv6 is gradually being adopted by hosting providers and telecom operators, so many hosting companies offer it alongside IPv4 rather than as a replacement.

For a typical website or online service, an IPv4 address is usually sufficient, while IPv6 support is becoming increasingly useful for projects focused on mobile traffic and markets where adoption of the newer protocol is more advanced.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Difference Between a Static and Dynamic IP Address?

A static IP address is permanently assigned to a server and does not change, while a dynamic IP may change each time a new connection is established. Servers almost always use static IP addresses so that domains and services can operate reliably.

Is IPv6 Required on a Server?

No. For most use cases, IPv4 is enough. IPv6 is an additional capability that can be useful in certain scenarios, but it is not a strict requirement today.

Why Have IPv4 Addresses Become a Paid Resource?

Because the global IPv4 address pool has been exhausted, regional internet registries can no longer freely allocate new addresses in the same volumes as before. As a result, providers often have to purchase, lease, or reallocate IPv4 addresses through the secondary market.

How Many IP Addresses Are Included with a VPS Plan?

As a rule, one dedicated IPv4 address is included with a VPS plan by default, while additional addresses can be added separately if needed.

An IP address is the basic network identifier of a server, while IPv4 and IPv6 are two generations of the Internet Protocol with very different address capacities.

For most projects, one dedicated IPv4 address is sufficient and is included with all ForceVPS VPS plans at no additional cost.