How Can I Efficiently Store IPv6-Compatible Addresses in MySQL?

Storing IPv6-Compatible Addresses in a Relational Database

When designing an application to support IPv6, storing IP addresses and CIDR blocks in a database is essential. For MySQL, which currently lacks native support for IPv6 address formats, determining the optimal approach for IPv6-ready storage is crucial.

Among the proposed options, using 2 * BIGINT UNSIGNED for IP addresses appears to be a suitable solution. This approach provides a natural split at the /64 address boundary, aligning well with the smallest netblock size in IPv6. By using unsigned BIGINTs, the full range of IPv6 addresses can be represented without encountering overflow issues.

While other methods may also be viable, such as CHAR(16) for binary storage or CHAR(39) for text storage, the simplicity and efficiency of 2 * BIGINT UNSIGNED make it a preferred choice for storing IPv6-compatible addresses in MySQL databases. This method allows for efficient data retrieval, sorting, and comparisons, ensuring reliable data management for IPv6 applications.

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