Glossary · Networking
IPv6 proxy
An IPv6 proxy is a proxy whose exit address is an IPv6 address — 128 bits long under RFC 8200, against 32 bits for IPv4 — so it can only reach sites that accept IPv6 connections and is seen by them as an IPv6 client.
Reviewed 30 Oct 2026
Why IPv6 addresses are plentiful
In IPv6 a single network segment is normally a /64: RFC 4291 gives most unicast addresses a 64-bit interface identifier, which leaves 2⁶⁴ possible addresses on one link. RFC 6177 says end sites should be able to get at least one /64 and in most cases significantly more. A single subscriber can therefore hold more addresses than the whole IPv4 internet.
That abundance is what makes IPv6 proxies cheap to offer, and also what limits their value per address: a site that counted requests per individual IPv6 address would be trivial to outrun, so it has every reason to treat a whole prefix as one client. Prefixes and their notation are explained under subnet.
IPv4 vs IPv6 proxies
| IPv4 exit | IPv6 exit | |
|---|---|---|
| Address length | 32 bits | 128 bits |
| Reachable sites | Effectively all | Only those published over IPv6 |
| Supply | Scarce; often shared behind NAT | Abundant; a /64 per segment |
| How sites tend to group them | Per address or small range | Per prefix |
If a target has no IPv6 address in DNS, an IPv6-only exit cannot connect to it at all. The longer comparison is in IPv4 vs IPv6 proxies.
IPv6 and ARC
ARC does not sell IPv6 proxies as a separate product; plans are chosen by pool and location, not address family. If the family matters for a job, request an IP-echo endpoint through the exit and look at which kind of address comes back, as in test proxy location.
FAQ
Questions
Something not covered? Write to contact@arcproxies.io.
Are IPv6 proxies cheaper than IPv4 proxies?
Usually, because IPv6 addresses are abundant while IPv4 addresses are scarce. The lower price reflects that sites tend to judge IPv6 traffic by prefix, so many addresses from one block count for less than their number suggests.
Can an IPv6 proxy access every website?
No. It can only reach sites that publish an IPv6 address and accept IPv6 connections. Sites that are IPv4-only are unreachable from an IPv6-only exit.
What does /64 mean in IPv6?
It is a prefix length: the first 64 bits identify the network and the remaining 64 bits identify interfaces on it. A /64 is the usual size of one IPv6 network segment.
Does ARC offer IPv6 proxies?
Not as a separate product. ARC's plans are sold by pool — rotating ISP, residential, mobile and static ISP — and targeted by country and city.
Sources & review
Last reviewed by the ARC Proxies team. Prices are read from the live catalog at build time.
In practice