Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the sixth version of Internet Protocol (IP), which directs data across the Internet and serves as an identity and location system for machines on networks.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) created IPv6 in order to solve the long-anticipated issue of IPv4 address exhaustion and to eventually replace IPv4. IPv6 became a draft standard for the IETF in December 1998, and on July 14, 2017, it was approved as an Internet standard.
For information about IPv6, please view guidance on this topic from the following resources:
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
- The U.S. General Services Administration.
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
- The Federal Communications Commission.