IPv4

Fourth version of the Internet Protocol

2 min read

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Interest in “IPv4” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-25.

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2026-01-27Peak: 1,3302026-02-25

30-day total: 31,197

Key Takeaways

Internet Protocol version 4 ( IPv4 ) is the first version of the Internet Protocol (IP) as a standalone specification.
IPv4 was the first version deployed for production on SATNET in 1982 and on the ARPANET in January 1983.
IPv4 uses a 32-bit address space which provides 4,294,967,296 (2 32 ) unique addresses, but large blocks are reserved for special networking purposes.
Purpose The Internet Protocol ("IP") is the protocol that defines and enables internetworking at the internet layer of the Internet Protocol Suite.
IPv4 is a connectionless protocol, and operates on a best-effort delivery model, in that it does not guarantee delivery, nor does it assure proper sequencing or avoidance of duplicate delivery.

Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is the first version of the Internet Protocol (IP) as a standalone specification. It is one of the core protocols of standards-based internetworking methods in the Internet and other packet-switched networks. IPv4 was the first version deployed for production on SATNET in 1982 and on the ARPANET in January 1983. It is still used to route most Internet traffic today, even with the ongoing deployment of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), its successor.

IPv4 uses a 32-bit address space which provides 4,294,967,296 (2³²) unique addresses, but large blocks are reserved for special networking purposes. This quantity of unique addresses is not large enough to meet the needs of the global Internet, which has caused a significant issue known as IPv4 address exhaustion during the ongoing transition to IPv6.

Purpose

The Internet Protocol ("IP") is the protocol that defines and enables internetworking at the internet layer of the Internet Protocol Suite. It gives the Internet a global-scale logical addressing system which allows the routing of IP data packets from a source host to the next router that is one hop closer to the intended destination host on another network.

IPv4 is a connectionless protocol, and operates on a best-effort delivery model, in that it does not guarantee delivery, nor does it assure proper sequencing or avoidance of duplicate delivery. These aspects may be addressed by upper layer transport protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or the QUIC protocol.