Cloudflare Goes IPv6-First: What Large CDNs Reveal About IPv4 Demand
Cloudflare has made IPv6 adoption a priority, enabling IPv6 by default for all customers and routing IPv6 traffic across their global edge network. This post covers the specifics of Cloudflare’s approach, what it reveals about CDN IPv6 adoption, and what it means for buying or leasing IPv4.
Cloudflare’s IPv6 Adoption by the Numbers
Cloudflare has published concrete data on their IPv6 deployment:
- 98%+ of sites on Cloudflare support IPv6. Cloudflare enables IPv6 automatically for all customers.
- IPv6 varies by country. Belgium leads with over 50% of traffic over IPv6. India and Germany show strong adoption. The US and UK have lower percentages.
- Free for all plans. Unlike some providers that charge for IPv6, Cloudflare includes it at no extra cost.
Cloudflare handles IPv6-to-IPv4 translation at their edge, so origin servers can remain IPv4-only while still serving IPv6 clients. This simplifies adoption for site operators.
What Cloudflare’s Approach Reveals
Cloudflare’s model shows how CDNs can push IPv6 adoption without requiring customers to change their infrastructure:
- Edge handles dual-stack. Cloudflare’s network accepts both IPv4 and IPv6 from clients.
- Origin can stay IPv4. Backend servers don’t need to support IPv6 if the CDN handles translation.
- Adoption depends on ISPs. IPv6 traffic shares depend on whether visitors’ ISPs support IPv6. Cloudflare can’t control that.
This approach reduces the barrier to IPv6 adoption. Site operators get IPv6 support without infrastructure changes.
Why IPv4 Demand Persists
Even with 98% IPv6 support on Cloudflare, IPv4 demand remains for several reasons:
- Origin servers. Many backend servers, databases, and APIs run IPv4-only. Cloudflare’s edge translation helps, but organizations still need IPv4 for their own infrastructure.
- Non-CDN traffic. Not all traffic flows through CDNs. Direct connections, APIs, VPNs, and internal services often require IPv4.
- Regional gaps. Countries with low IPv6 ISP support still send mostly IPv4 traffic.
- Legacy systems. Enterprise software, IoT devices, and partner integrations may require IPv4.
For more on why IPv4 still dominates and how the transition is playing out, see how RIRs manage the last IPv4 addresses and IPv4 vs IPv6: why the transition is taking decades.
What Other CDNs Are Doing
Cloudflare isn’t alone. Other major CDNs have similar approaches:
- Akamai supports IPv6 and offers dual-stack by default for many products
- Fastly provides IPv6 support and tracks adoption metrics
- AWS CloudFront supports IPv6 for distributions
- Google Cloud CDN supports IPv6 natively
The pattern is consistent: CDNs handle dual-stack at the edge, enabling IPv6 for visitors while backends often remain IPv4.
What You Should Do
If you need IPv4 for compatibility, hosting, or growth:
Buy IPv4 when you need long-term control and have budget for an upfront purchase. Our guide on how to buy IPv4 walks through the process.
Lease IPv4 when you need medium-term use without a large upfront cost. See how to lease IPv4 for lessee-side steps and how to monetize IPv4 if you’re a holder.
Use a CDN for IPv6. If your origin is IPv4-only but you want to serve IPv6 clients, a CDN like Cloudflare can handle the translation at the edge.
IPv6 adoption will continue, but IPv4 demand will stay relevant for years. Choosing buy vs lease depends on your timeline and budget—not on CDNs going IPv6-first alone.
Bottom Line
Cloudflare enables IPv6 for 98% of sites on their platform, handling dual-stack at the edge so customers don’t need to change their backends. That’s a model other CDNs follow. But it doesn’t remove the need for IPv4 for most organizations—origin servers, APIs, non-CDN traffic, and legacy systems still require IPv4. If you need addresses now, buy or lease IPv4 based on your requirements, and use a CDN to extend IPv6 support where it makes sense.