# IPv4 and IPv6 proxies

IPv4 and IPv6 are the two versions of the Internet Protocol. IPv4 addresses are scarce, expensive and accepted everywhere, which is why serious proxy networks are built on them. IPv6 addresses are practically unlimited and cheap, so IPv6 proxies are sold in huge quantities at low prices, but a large share of websites do not accept IPv6 connections at all and those that do apply stricter scoring to /64 blocks. For general web work, IPv4 is the safe default.


## Comparison

|  | IPv4 | IPv6 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supply | Scarce; drives the price of static proxies | Effectively unlimited |
| Target support | Universal | Partial; many sites are IPv4-only |
| Reputation granularity | Per address | Per /64 block, so one bad neighbour taints thousands of addresses |
| Residential pools | The norm | Rare |


## Destinations over IPv6

Some networks refuse to connect to IPv6-only destinations because their exits sit on IPv4 households. Dual-stack sites work normally since the exit picks IPv4.


## How it works at ProxShift

Every ProxShift exit is IPv4, and the gateways connect to destinations over IPv4; IPv6-only destinations are not reachable. Whitelisting accepts IPv4 source addresses.

Source: https://proxshift.com/glossary/ipv4-vs-ipv6