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How Do Cloud Providers Support IPv6?

As IPv4 address exhaustion continues and the internet transitions toward IPv6, cloud providers have significantly expanded their IPv6 capabilities. In 2025, all major cloud platforms offer robust IPv6 support, though implementation details, regional availability, and feature maturity vary considerably. This comprehensive guide covers how leading cloud providers handle IPv6, from basic configuration to advanced dual-stack architectures.

Overview: IPv6 in the Cloud Era

Cloud providers have embraced IPv6 to address several key challenges:

AWS IPv6 Support

Current Status (2025)

Amazon Web Services has achieved comprehensive IPv6 support across its core services, with major enhancements announced throughout 2025:

Supported Services

VPC (Virtual Private Cloud):

EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud):

Load Balancers:

CloudFront (CDN):

Other Services with IPv6:

Configuration Guide: AWS Dual-Stack VPC

Step 1: Associate IPv6 CIDR with VPC

# Using AWS CLI
aws ec2 associate-vpc-cidr-block \
  --vpc-id vpc-12345678 \
  --ipv6-cidr-block-network-border-group us-east-1 \
  --amazon-provided-ipv6-cidr-block

Step 2: Add IPv6 CIDR to Subnets

aws ec2 associate-subnet-cidr-block \
  --subnet-id subnet-12345678 \
  --ipv6-cidr-block 2600:1f14:abc:1000::/64

Step 3: Update Route Tables

# Add IPv6 route to Internet Gateway
aws ec2 create-route \
  --route-table-id rtb-12345678 \
  --destination-ipv6-cidr-block ::/0 \
  --gateway-id igw-12345678

Step 4: Configure Security Groups

# Allow IPv6 SSH access
aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress \
  --group-id sg-12345678 \
  --ip-permissions IpProtocol=tcp,FromPort=22,ToPort=22,Ipv6Ranges='[{CidrIpv6=::/0}]'

Step 5: Launch Dual-Stack EC2 Instance

aws ec2 run-instances \
  --image-id ami-12345678 \
  --instance-type t3.micro \
  --subnet-id subnet-12345678 \
  --ipv6-address-count 1

Best Practices: AWS

  1. Start with Dual-Stack: Enable both IPv4 and IPv6 initially; transition to IPv6-only gradually
  2. Use CloudFront for Global Apps: Leverage end-to-end IPv6 delivery for international users
  3. Leverage NAT64/DNS64: For IPv6-only subnets, use AWS-managed NAT64 to access IPv4 services
  4. Monitor with CloudWatch: Track IPv6 traffic separately using metrics like IPv6RequestCount
  5. Test Thoroughly: Validate both protocol paths before production deployment

Azure IPv6 Support

Current Status (2025)

Microsoft Azure provides comprehensive IPv6 support for Virtual Networks, virtual machines, and load balancers through its dual-stack (IPv4+IPv6) implementation.

Supported Services

Virtual Network (VNet):

Virtual Machines:

Load Balancers:

Limitations (2025):

Configuration Guide: Azure Dual-Stack VM

Step 1: Create Dual-Stack Virtual Network

# Using Azure CLI
az network vnet create \
  --name MyVNet \
  --resource-group MyResourceGroup \
  --address-prefixes 10.0.0.0/16 2001:db8::/48 \
  --subnet-name MySubnet \
  --subnet-prefixes 10.0.1.0/24 2001:db8:0:1::/64

Step 2: Create Public IPv6 Address

az network public-ip create \
  --name MyPublicIPv6 \
  --resource-group MyResourceGroup \
  --version IPv6 \
  --sku Standard

Step 3: Configure Network Interface

# Add IPv6 configuration to existing NIC
az network nic ip-config create \
  --name ipv6-config \
  --nic-name MyNIC \
  --resource-group MyResourceGroup \
  --vnet-name MyVNet \
  --subnet MySubnet \
  --private-ip-address-version IPv6 \
  --public-ip-address MyPublicIPv6

Step 4: Update Network Security Group

# Allow IPv6 traffic
az network nsg rule create \
  --resource-group MyResourceGroup \
  --nsg-name MyNSG \
  --name AllowIPv6 \
  --protocol tcp \
  --priority 1000 \
  --destination-port-range 443 \
  --access Allow \
  --source-address-prefixes '::/0'

Best Practices: Azure

  1. Dual-Stack First: Always deploy dual-stack since IPv6-only VMs aren't supported
  2. Use Standard SKU: Premium Tier networking required for full IPv6 feature set
  3. Plan NSG Rules: Remember ICMPv6 isn't supported; plan testing accordingly
  4. Firewall Considerations: Keep Azure Firewall subnets IPv4-only
  5. Gradual Migration: Add IPv6 to existing deployments without disruption

Google Cloud Platform IPv6 Support

Current Status (2025)

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers comprehensive IPv6 support through dual-stack and IPv6-only configurations, with recent enhancements extending across Compute Engine, VPC, and load balancing services.

Supported Services

VPC Networks:

Compute Engine (GCE):

Cloud Load Balancing:

Limitations (2025):

Configuration Guide: GCP Dual-Stack Instance

Step 1: Enable IPv6 on VPC Subnet

# Using gcloud CLI
gcloud compute networks subnets update SUBNET_NAME \
  --stack-type=IPV4_IPV6 \
  --ipv6-access-type=EXTERNAL

Step 2: Create Dual-Stack Instance

gcloud compute instances create INSTANCE_NAME \
  --zone=us-central1-a \
  --machine-type=e2-medium \
  --subnet=SUBNET_NAME \
  --stack-type=IPV4_IPV6 \
  --ipv6-network-tier=PREMIUM

Step 3: Configure Firewall Rules

# Allow IPv6 HTTPS traffic
gcloud compute firewall-rules create allow-ipv6-https \
  --network=NETWORK_NAME \
  --allow=tcp:443 \
  --source-ranges=::/0 \
  --direction=INGRESS

Step 4: Update Load Balancer for Dual-Stack

# Configure forwarding rule with IPv6
gcloud compute forwarding-rules create ipv6-lb-forwarding-rule \
  --load-balancing-scheme=EXTERNAL \
  --network-tier=PREMIUM \
  --ip-protocol=TCP \
  --ports=443 \
  --ip-version=IPV6 \
  --backend-service=BACKEND_SERVICE

Best Practices: GCP

  1. Use Custom Mode VPCs: Required for IPv6 support
  2. Premium Tier Only: Budget for Premium Tier networking costs
  3. Choose Access Type Carefully: Internal (ULA) vs External (GUA) based on use case
  4. Test Stack Type Changes: Verify instance behavior when switching between IPv4, dual-stack, and IPv6-only
  5. Cloud Service Mesh: Leverage for advanced IPv6 routing in microservices architectures

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure IPv6 Support

Current Status (2025)

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) has expanded IPv6 support significantly, with October 2025 updates enabling IPv6 on Compute Cloud@Customer and enhanced networking features.

Key Features

Virtual Cloud Network (VCN):

Compute Instances:

Network Load Balancer:

Configuration Guide: OCI IPv6 VCN

Step 1: Enable IPv6 on VCN

# Using OCI CLI
oci network vcn add-ipv6-vcn-cidr \
  --vcn-id ocid1.vcn.oc1... \
  --ipv6-prefix-cidr 2001:db8::/56

Step 2: Add IPv6 to Subnet

oci network subnet update \
  --subnet-id ocid1.subnet.oc1... \
  --ipv6-cidr-block 2001:db8:0:1::/64

Step 3: Configure Instance with IPv6

oci compute instance launch \
  --availability-domain AD-1 \
  --compartment-id ocid1.compartment.oc1... \
  --shape VM.Standard2.1 \
  --subnet-id ocid1.subnet.oc1... \
  --assign-ipv6-ip true

Best Practices: OCI

  1. Plan Prefix Strategy: Decide between Oracle-allocated, BYOIP, or ULA prefixes upfront
  2. FastConnect for Hybrid: Use DRG with FastConnect for IPv6 on-premises connectivity
  3. SR-IOV Requirements: Verify VNIC type for Compute Cloud@Customer deployments

Other Cloud Providers

DigitalOcean

IPv6 Support: Available on all Droplets Key Features:

Linode (Akamai Cloud)

IPv6 Support: Comprehensive across all services Key Features:

Vultr

IPv6 Support: Industry-leading with IPv6-only pricing Key Features:

Hetzner Cloud

IPv6 Support: Excellent with generous allocations Key Features:

Cloud Provider IPv6 Comparison Table

Provider Dual-Stack VPC IPv6-Only Instances Load Balancer IPv6 CDN IPv6 Cost Premium Regional Availability
AWS Yes Yes (with NAT64) Yes (ALB, NLB) Yes (CloudFront E2E) None All regions (except NZ for ASG)
Azure Yes No (requires IPv4) Yes (Standard LB) Yes (Front Door) None Global (most regions)
GCP Yes Yes Yes (ALB, proxy NLB) Yes (Cloud CDN) Premium Tier required Premium Tier regions
Oracle Cloud Yes Yes Yes (NLB) Limited None Most regions
DigitalOcean Yes No Partial No native CDN None All datacenters
Linode Yes No Yes No native CDN None All regions
Vultr Yes Yes Yes No native CDN Discount for IPv6-only All locations

VPC/Network Configuration for Dual-Stack

General Architecture Pattern

Most cloud providers follow a similar pattern for dual-stack configuration:

  1. Network Layer: Associate IPv6 CIDR block with VPC/VNet (typically /56 or /48)
  2. Subnet Layer: Allocate /64 IPv6 subnet from VPC range
  3. Routing Layer: Add IPv6 default route (::/0) pointing to Internet Gateway/NAT Gateway
  4. Security Layer: Create IPv6 firewall rules parallel to IPv4 rules
  5. Instance Layer: Assign IPv6 addresses to instances (auto or manual)
  6. DNS Layer: Create AAAA records alongside A records

Network Topology Best Practices

Three-Tier Architecture with Dual-Stack:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Internet (IPv4 + IPv6)                     │
└────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                 │
    ┌────────────▼──────────────┐
    │  Load Balancer             │
    │  (Dual-Stack)              │
    │  IPv4: Public              │
    │  IPv6: 2001:db8::1/64      │
    └────────────┬───────────────┘
                 │
    ┌────────────▼──────────────┐
    │  Application Tier          │
    │  (Private Subnet)          │
    │  IPv4: 10.0.1.0/24         │
    │  IPv6: 2001:db8:0:1::/64   │
    └────────────┬───────────────┘
                 │
    ┌────────────▼──────────────┐
    │  Database Tier             │
    │  (Private Subnet)          │
    │  IPv4: 10.0.2.0/24         │
    │  IPv6: 2001:db8:0:2::/64   │
    └───────────────────────────┘

IPv6 Migration Strategies

Approach: Run IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously across all layers

Advantages:

Timeline: 6-12 months for full deployment

Steps:

  1. Enable IPv6 on VPC/VNet (weeks 1-2)
  2. Configure load balancers for dual-stack (weeks 3-4)
  3. Deploy IPv6 to public-facing services (weeks 5-8)
  4. Gradually enable IPv6 on internal services (weeks 9-20)
  5. Monitor and optimize (weeks 21-48)
  6. Consider IPv6-only for new services (month 13+)

Strategy 2: IPv6-Only for New Workloads

Approach: Deploy new applications as IPv6-only, use NAT64/DNS64 for legacy IPv4 services

Advantages:

Considerations:

Strategy 3: Phased Service Migration

Approach: Start with external-facing services, migrate internal systems later

Phase 1 (Months 1-3): Web servers, CDN, public APIs Phase 2 (Months 4-6): Application servers, microservices Phase 3 (Months 7-12): Databases, internal tools Phase 4 (Month 13+): Legacy systems, gradual IPv4 retirement

Limitations and Regional Availability

AWS Limitations

Azure Limitations

GCP Limitations

Oracle Cloud Limitations

Smaller Providers

Cloud Provider Best Practices Summary

For AWS Users

  1. Leverage CloudFront for end-to-end IPv6 delivery (new in 2025)
  2. Use IPv6-only subnets with NAT64 for cost optimization
  3. Enable Auto Scaling Group IPv6 for elastic workloads
  4. Test ALB in IPv6-only mode for greenfield applications
  5. Use AWS PrivateLink with dual-stack NLB for service mesh architectures

For Azure Users

  1. Always provision dual-stack (IPv6-only VMs not supported)
  2. Upgrade to Standard SKU load balancers for full IPv6 feature set
  3. Plan around Azure Firewall IPv4-only limitation
  4. Use Virtual Machine Scale Sets for IPv6-capable auto-scaling
  5. Monitor NSG rules carefully (ICMPv6 not supported)

For GCP Users

  1. Budget for Premium Tier networking costs
  2. Use custom mode VPCs exclusively (required for IPv6)
  3. Plan IPv6 access type (internal vs external) based on architecture
  4. Leverage Cloud Service Mesh for advanced IPv6 routing
  5. Test stack type changes in non-production first

For Multi-Cloud Environments

  1. Standardize on dual-stack architecture across providers
  2. Use infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Pulumi) for consistent IPv6 configuration
  3. Implement consistent IPv6 addressing scheme (avoid overlaps)
  4. Deploy monitoring across both protocols independently
  5. Test failover scenarios between IPv4 and IPv6 paths

Testing and Validation

Using test-ipv6.run for Cloud Validation

After configuring IPv6 in your cloud environment, validate connectivity using test-ipv6.run:

  1. Deploy Test Instance: Launch a dual-stack instance in your cloud VPC
  2. Access from Instance: Browse to test-ipv6.run from instance's browser or curl
  3. Verify Tests:
    • IPv4 Only Test: Should pass (confirms IPv4 connectivity)
    • IPv6 Only Test: Should pass (confirms IPv6 connectivity)
    • Dual Stack Test: Should pass (confirms proper protocol selection)
    • Protocol Preference: Shows which protocol browser prefers

Example from AWS EC2 instance:

# Test IPv4 connectivity
curl -4 https://api.ipify.org

# Test IPv6 connectivity
curl -6 https://api6.ipify.org

# Test dual-stack behavior
curl https://api64.ipify.org

# Full validation with test-ipv6.run backend
curl -s https://test-ipv6.run/api/check | jq

Scoring Interpretation

Troubleshooting Cloud IPv6 Issues

AWS Common Issues:

Azure Common Issues:

GCP Common Issues:

Conclusion

In 2025, all major cloud providers offer robust IPv6 support, though implementation maturity varies. AWS leads with end-to-end IPv6 delivery via CloudFront and comprehensive service coverage. Azure provides solid dual-stack capabilities but lacks IPv6-only VM support. GCP offers flexible configurations but requires Premium Tier. Smaller providers like Vultr innovate with IPv6-only pricing, while DigitalOcean and Linode provide straightforward implementations.

Key Recommendations:

  1. Start with dual-stack for maximum compatibility
  2. Test thoroughly using tools like test-ipv6.run
  3. Plan for long-term IPv4/IPv6 coexistence (years, not months)
  4. Budget appropriately (GCP Premium Tier, potential IPv4 address costs)
  5. Follow provider-specific best practices outlined above

The future is dual-stack transitioning to IPv6-only. Cloud providers are ready - the question is whether your applications are. Begin your IPv6 journey today by enabling dual-stack on a non-production VPC and validating with test-ipv6.run.

Additional Resources:

Last Updated: October 2025