IPv4
Short definition
The original internet protocol — 32-bit addresses, exhausted regional pools, currently rationed via secondary markets.
IPv4 is the internet protocol that has powered the modern internet since the early 1980s. Its 32-bit address space (4.3 billion addresses) was exhausted regionally between 2011-2019; new IPv4 allocations now happen on secondary markets at $20-50 per address. IPv4 is functionally fine — connectivity works, NAT papers over the address shortage — but its cost has shifted offshore-hosting economics: an additional dedicated IPv4 typically adds $2-5 / mo to a plan.
For offshore hosting customers, IPv4 is still the default — most clients can only reach IPv4 services, and most application stacks assume IPv4 connectivity. Customers needing many addresses (for example, scraping infrastructure with IP rotation) often request /29 or /28 blocks (8 or 16 addresses) at incremental pricing. Some workloads (Tor exits, mail servers) benefit from clean IPv4 history.
Connected concepts
Adjacent definitions worth knowing in the same context.
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