Free tool
IPv6 Connectivity Test
Check whether your internet connection supports IPv6, see your address, and understand what it means for your home server.
Testing IPv6 connectivity…
IPv6 detection depends on how your browser connected to this page. A VPN may mask your real IPv6 address.
Background
IPv6 and home servers explained
Why IPv6 exists
IPv4 has roughly 4.3 billion addresses — not enough for every device on earth. IPv6 provides 2¹²⁸ addresses (340 undecillion), enough for every device to have a unique public address with no NAT required.
IPv6 means no NAT
With IPv6, your devices get direct public addresses. There's no router NAT, no port forwarding configuration, and no CGNAT. Any device can be reached directly from the internet — assuming your firewall allows it.
IPv6 and home servers
An IPv6 home server is simpler to expose than IPv4: no port forwarding rules needed. The main challenges are that your prefix may change (ISPs use prefix delegation) and not all client networks support IPv6 yet.
Dual-stack with NovaDNS
NovaDNS creates both A (IPv4) and AAAA (IPv6) records for every host, automatically updated whenever your IP changes. Visitors reach you via whichever protocol their network prefers.
Reference
IPv6 address types
| Prefix | Type | Routable? | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ::1 | Loopback | No | Localhost only — equivalent to 127.0.0.1 |
| fe80::/10 | Link-local | No | Auto-configured on every IPv6 interface; only valid on the local segment |
| fc00::/7 | Unique local | Private only | Private networks — like RFC 1918 in IPv4 |
| 2000::/3 | Global unicast | Yes | Public internet addresses — the ones ISPs assign |
| 64:ff9b::/96 | NAT64 | Via gateway | IPv4-mapped addresses used by transition mechanisms |
Full dual-stack DDNS, built in.
NovaDNS automatically updates both your A and AAAA records whenever your IPv4 or IPv6 address changes. No extra config needed.