Enter your full IPv6 address into the calculator to determine the compressed version, or enter a compressed IPv6 address to see its full form.

IPv6 Address Compression and Decompression

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol (IP), designed to address the limitations of IPv4. One of the key features of IPv6 is its extended address space, which uses 128-bit addresses compared to the 32-bit addresses of IPv4. This change increases the address space exponentially, allowing for a virtually limitless number of unique IP addresses.

However, IPv6 addresses are much longer than IPv4 addresses, often requiring compression to make them more manageable and readable. IPv6 address compression involves shortening the address by removing leading zeros and using “::” to represent consecutive sections of zeroes.

IPv6 Address Compression

The process of compressing an IPv6 address involves replacing consecutive sections of zeroes with a double colon (::). For example, the address 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:ff00:0042:8329 can be compressed to 2001:db8::ff00:42:8329. This simplification helps reduce the length of the address without losing any information.

To compress an IPv6 address:

  1. Remove leading zeros from each section.
  2. Replace the longest continuous sequence of zero sections with “::”.

IPv6 Address Decompression

Decompressing an IPv6 address involves expanding the “::” back into the appropriate number of zero sections and ensuring each section has four hexadecimal digits by adding leading zeros where necessary. For example, the compressed address 2001:db8::ff00:42:8329 can be decompressed to 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:ff00:0042:8329.

To decompress an IPv6 address:

  1. Expand “::” into the appropriate number of zero sections to reach a total of eight sections.
  2. Add leading zeros to each section to ensure all sections have four hexadecimal digits.

Why Compress IPv6 Addresses?

Compressing IPv6 addresses simplifies their representation, making them easier to read, type, and communicate. Given the length of full IPv6 addresses, compression is essential for practical use in documentation, networking configurations, and user interfaces.

Using the IPv6 Compression Calculator

Our IPv6 Compression Calculator helps you quickly and accurately compress or decompress IPv6 addresses. Whether you’re working with