How Does An IPv6 Proxy Work & How Enterprises Can Get Benefit?

IPv6 became imperative after developers discovered that IPv4 had a finite number and addresses. How does an IPv6 Proxy work?

Technological advancements have come a long way – from when internet utility was very limited to when internet connection was achieved only through internet protocol (IP) version 4 (IPv4) addresses to this modern age where IPv6 is the next big thing.

IPv6 stands for internet protocol version 6, as you might have figured out by now, and was first introduced in 2012.

It became imperative after developers discovered that IPv4 had a finite number and addresses. It would not take long before we ran out of possible commutations for the fourth IP version.

As such, a new version that would allow humanity to generate an infinite number of IP addresses was born; IPv6. And several technologies have been built and designed in its wake.

IPv6 proxy, for instance, was subsequently developed to make things easy. IPv6 had several benefits, such as routing traffic and packet headers conveniently and attracting many organizations to start hosting their servers on it.

However, traffic and connections coming from the older IPv4 could not reach or interact with these new servers because they operated on different standards.

Therefore, it became necessary to build a tool that could translate all IPv4 traffic to reach IPv6 hosted servers, hence the IPv6 proxy.

What Is A Proxy?

A proxy is a device or computer that can serve as the middleman between different servers or networks.

It can stand anywhere between the user and the internet and transfer data and connections back and forth quickly and securely.

This traffic transfer is often done using its IP and location while concealing the user’s details. This helps to provide necessary security and anonymity for the internet user.

How Do Proxies Work?

Proxies are not the only tools used in re-routing users’ connections, but they are one of the most effective, and this is evident in the way they work:

The user sends out a request using a proxyThe proxy accepts the incoming traffic and remodels it to ensure lesser errors and better speedThen it masks the user’s IP and transfers the traffic using its IP insteadThe request reaches the final server, and the results are collected and returned to the user via the proxy networkThe proxy again accepts this traffic and screens it for possible malware. Once it certifies that it is healthy, it sends it to the user.The user receives the result quickly as a web page.All these happen so quickly and seamlessly that users can’t even tell there have been interceptions at different levels and points.

What Are Proxies Used For?

Proxies are essential for several reasons, and below are some of the most common:

To Boast Internal Security

The internet may be a lovely place for both individuals and brands, but it can also turn sour quickly.

There are cybercriminals monitoring traffic at every turn and waiting for what data to breach.

Proxies are used because they can hide your IP and sensitive data and filter traffic to ensure the user is protected at all times.

To Reduce Server Load

Servers are just like every other type of machine – they can only handle what is within their capacity.

When a server has to deal with too much traffic every day, it doesn’t take long before it crashes.

Proxies are helpful because they are excellent at reducing the workload on servers. For instance, proxies can allocate traffic to the available server to prevent one server from taking too much load.

Proxies can also deploy caching mechanisms where they store results from past queries. This way, they can pull the data from what has been stored instead of disturbing the servers.

To Bypass Restrictions

There are several limitations and restrictions that people face when surfing the internet. Some users can get banned or blocked when they use the same IP to interact with a website or server repeatedly.

Other users can get restricted from using particular services or accessing specific content because of where they live.

Proxies are used to prevent both types of limitations as they can supply users with an extensive collection of IPs to prevent bans and multiple locations from bypassing geo-restrictions.

What Is An IPv6 Proxy?

An IPv6 proxy can be defined as a type of proxy that translates IPv4 traffic into IPv6 traffic. It could be software or hardware that stands between users and the internet and translate this older traffic into the IPv6 version.

The purpose is often to allow traffic from devices using the older IP versions to reach servers hosted on the IP6 standard.

Without this tool, it would be impossible for anyone using the older IP versions to interact with IPv6 standards.

The IPv6 proxy can also perform other essential functions of a regular proxy, including concealing the user’s networks to provide online privacy and filtering traffic to boost online security.

How Do IPv6 Proxies Work?

As the world adopts IPv6 standards and gradually moves towards it, several users, including organizations and service providers still using the IPv4 standard, need a tool to help them translate and forward their traffic.

IPv6 proxies work by intercepting traffic from the older IP standard, translating the address and header, and routing the information before forwarding them to an IPv6 server or target device.

The Main Use Cases of IPv6 Proxies

There are several ways the IPv6 proxy can be used (visit Oxylabs for more info), including the following:

Maximizing Online Security and Privacy

Like all significant proxies, the IPv4 proxies also play a massive role in boosting your security and that of your data. Whatever your online activity, you can hide your identity using these proxies with zero cost to your browsing speed and performance.

Bypassing Censorship and Constraints

If you experience bans, blockings, and restrictions very often online, you may want to consider switching to the IPv6 proxies as they can easily bypass these challenges. You can easily choose a different IP and location to appear like a completely different user.

Web Scraping

IPv4 proxies can also be used with a dedicated scraper to harvest a large amount of data from different sources at once. This capability comes from the fact that an IPv6 proxy can translate and re-route any traffic to help it reach any server. It can also provide you with multiple IP addresses and locations to help you perform these repetitive tasks without using an IP twice. 

Conclusion

IPv6 proxies are essential to interpret and translate traffic and make connections possible and seamless. But they can also bypass restrictions, provide extra online protection, and perform essential tasks such as web scraping.

About the Author: Anas Baig

With a passion for working on disruptive products, Anas Baig is currently working as a Product Lead at the Silicon Valley based company – Securiti.ai. He holds a degree of Computer Science from Iqra University and specializes in Information Security & Data Privacy.

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, IPv6)