--- title: "How IPv6 works for hosting and servers: a practical guide | StreetHosting" description: "Learn what IPv6 is, why the industry is moving off IPv4, how it affects your servers and applications, and how to set up IPv6 support on your VPS." url: "https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works" type: "page" language: "en-US" --- Infrastructure · 4 min · Intermediate Published on Jun 18, 2026 · Updated on Jun 18, 2026 # IPv6 for hosting: what it is, why it matters and how to set it up IPv4 is exhausted. IPv6 fixes that with a practically unlimited address space. Here is how IPv6 works in practice, how it affects servers and applications, and how to configure it on your VPS. By [Equipe StreetHosting](https://streethosting.com.br/en/autores#equipe-streethosting) · StreetHosting infrastructure and support team [Linux administration](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/topics/linux) [Network, DNS and domains](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/topics/networking) Summarize with: [](https://chat.openai.com/?q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fhow-ipv6-works.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. "ChatGPT") [](https://claude.ai/new?q=Summarize%20the%20key%20points%20of%20this%20StreetHosting%20guide%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fhow-ipv6-works.%20Highlight%20the%20step-by-step%20instructions%2C%20the%20prerequisites%20and%20the%20most%20common%20mistakes. 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"Perplexity") Share: [](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=How%20IPv6%20works%20for%20hosting%20and%20servers%3A%20a%20practical%20guide&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fhow-ipv6-works "Share on X") [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fhow-ipv6-works "Share on Facebook") [](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fhow-ipv6-works "Share on LinkedIn") [](https://wa.me/?text=How%20IPv6%20works%20for%20hosting%20and%20servers%3A%20a%20practical%20guide%20https%3A%2F%2Fstreethosting.com.br%2Fen%2Fguides%2Finfrastructure%2Fhow-ipv6-works "Share on WhatsApp") For agents: Copy as Markdown [.md](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works.md) In this guide 6 sections * [What IPv6 is](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#o-que-e-ipv6) * [IPv4 vs IPv6](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#ipv4-vs-ipv6) * [Impact on servers and applications](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#impacto-servidor) * [Setting up IPv6 on your VPS](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#configurar-vps) * [DNS and AAAA records](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#dns-ipv6) * [IPv6 firewall and security](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#firewall-ipv6) Quick answer **IPv6** uses 128-bit addresses (vs 32 bits for IPv4), which solves address exhaustion. In practice, modern servers run **dual-stack** (IPv4 and IPv6 at the same time). Set up **AAAA** DNS records for IPv6 and adjust your firewall to protect both protocols. ## What IPv6 is[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#o-que-e-ipv6) IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the current version of the internet protocol, created to solve the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses. While IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses (allowing about 4.3 billion unique addresses), IPv6 uses 128 bits, which yields an astronomically larger number of addresses. An IPv6 address looks like this: `2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334` It is eight groups of four hexadecimal digits separated by colons. Consecutive groups of zeros can be shortened with ::. ## IPv4 vs IPv6[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#ipv4-vs-ipv6) * **Address size**: IPv4 has 32 bits, IPv6 has 128 bits * **Number of addresses**: IPv4 has \~4.3 billion, IPv6 has \~340 undecillion * **NAT**: IPv4 needs NAT to share IPs, IPv6 does not * **Header**: IPv6 has a simplified header, with less overhead * **Security**: IPv6 was designed with native IPsec * **Adoption**: IPv4 still dominates, but IPv6 keeps growing In Brazil, IPv6 adoption among the main ISPs (Claro, Vivo, TIM) is above 50% of traffic. Google reports that more than 45% of connections to google.com in Brazil already use IPv6. ## Impact on servers and applications[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#impacto-servidor) For servers, IPv6 brings practical changes to: * **Firewall**: needs separate rules for IPv6 (ip6tables or ufw with ipv6) * **Applications**: must be configured to listen on IPv6 addresses (:: instead of 0.0.0.0) * **DNS**: requires an AAAA record in addition to the A record to expose the server over IPv6 * **Logs**: client addresses show up in IPv6 format in the server logs If your server's firewall only has IPv4 rules and the server has IPv6 enabled, IPv6 may be left completely open. Always configure firewall rules for both protocols. ## Setting up IPv6 on your VPS[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#configurar-vps) To check whether your VPS already has IPv6 configured: `ip -6 addr show` If the main interface (usually eth0 or ens3) shows a global address 2xxx::/128 or similar, IPv6 is already configured. To check connectivity: `ping6 google.com` On Ubuntu 22.04, IPv6 is configured automatically through SLAAC autoconfiguration or DHCPv6 from the provider, with no manual setup needed in most cases. ## DNS and AAAA records[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#dns-ipv6) To expose a domain over IPv6, add an **AAAA** record in DNS. While the A record points to an IPv4 address, the AAAA record points to an IPv6 address: * **A record**: server.example.com → 198.51.100.42 (IPv4) * **AAAA record**: server.example.com → 2001:db8::1 (IPv6) With both configured, the client connects over IPv6 if it is supported (the default preference in dual-stack) and falls back to IPv4 automatically if it is not. See the guide on [pointing a domain to your VPS with DNS](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/vps/point-domain-to-vps) for the full setup. ## IPv6 firewall and security[](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#firewall-ipv6) UFW on Ubuntu supports IPv6 natively. Check that it is enabled in the file `/etc/default/ufw`: `IPV6=yes` With this setting, UFW rules (such as allowing SSH, HTTP and HTTPS) apply automatically to both IPv4 and IPv6. For detailed setup, see the guide on the [UFW firewall on your VPS](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/vps/ufw-firewall-ubuntu-vps). In this guide * [What IPv6 is](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#o-que-e-ipv6) * [IPv4 vs IPv6](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#ipv4-vs-ipv6) * [Impact on servers and applications](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#impacto-servidor) * [Setting up IPv6 on your VPS](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#configurar-vps) * [DNS and AAAA records](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#dns-ipv6) * [IPv6 firewall and security](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/how-ipv6-works#firewall-ipv6) ## Frequently asked questions Do I need IPv6 on my server? It depends on your audience. For game servers in Brazil with players on ISPs that still use IPv4, the impact is small today. For modern web applications and APIs, dual-stack support (IPv4 and IPv6) is recommended for future compatibility. Is IPv6 faster than IPv4? In theory, IPv6 has less header overhead and does not need NAT, which can reduce latency. In practice, the difference depends on the route and on the provider's infrastructure. On well-configured connections the difference is small. Does my VPS have IPv6? It depends on the provider. Many modern providers include an IPv6 block alongside the IPv4 address. Check the control panel or run 'ip -6 addr show' on the VPS to see the IPv6 addresses configured. How do I check whether a site or server supports IPv6? Use online tools such as test-ipv6.com, or run dig AAAA yourdomain.com in the terminal. If the DNS has an AAAA record and the server answers over IPv6, it is configured correctly. Next step See VPS plans Root VPS in Brazil with NVMe and Anti-DDoS. [See VPS plans](https://streethosting.com.br/en/vps) [See Ryzen VPS Ryzen 9 9950X VPS in São Paulo with root access, NVMe and gamer Anti-DDoS.](https://streethosting.com.br/en/vps/ryzen) [See dedicated servers Exclusive hardware in São Paulo with NVMe and Anti-DDoS.](https://streethosting.com.br/en/dedicated) ## Related guides [Infrastructure Intermediate IPv4 vs IPv6: what changes for game servers An IP is your server's address on the internet. IPv4 is running out and IPv6 is the future, but compatibility still rules. Here is what that means for a game server. 3 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/infrastructure/ipv4-vs-ipv6-game-server) [VPS Beginner UFW on Ubuntu VPS: firewall rules without losing SSH UFW makes the Ubuntu firewall simpler, but one rule in the wrong order locks you out of your VPS. Learn how to enable it without losing SSH, open only what you need, deal with Docker, and get back in through the console if something goes wrong. 10 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/vps/ufw-firewall-ubuntu-vps) [VPS Beginner How to point a domain to a VPS: A, AAAA and CNAME records Your site is on the VPS, but people can only reach it by IP. DNS fixes that: an A record ties the domain to the server. Learn when to use AAAA and CNAME, how TTL controls propagation, how to test with dig and what the Cloudflare proxy does not do. 9 min Read guide](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides/vps/point-domain-to-vps) [← Back to the Guide Center](https://streethosting.com.br/en/guides)