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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →IPv4 address exhaustion is the point at which the pool of unallocated IPv4 addresses that registries can hand out for ordinary allocation has been used up. It describes the end of fresh supply, not the end of IPv4. Addresses already assigned to networks keep working, and the Internet still runs on IPv4 alongside IPv6.
What the term means
IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses, conventionally written as four decimal octets such as 192.0.2.10. IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses and is a different version of the Internet Protocol, not a revised IPv4. Because IPv4 offers roughly 4.3 billion possible addresses in total, a fixed supply of them eventually runs short as networks grow.
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Exhaustion is about the free allocation pool. IANA allocates blocks of IPv4 space to the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), which distribute addresses to ISPs and other organizations in their regions. When the unallocated blocks at the top of that chain are gone, new requests cannot be filled from fresh stock. That event is what the term refers to.
Two things the term does not mean:
- Every IPv4 address is in use. Exhaustion says nothing about whether a given address is reachable or assigned.
- Existing IPv4 networks stop functioning. Allocations already made remain in service.
Global exhaustion and regional run-outs are separate events
People often ask “when did IPv4 run out?” and the answer depends on which level is meant. IANA’s global pool and each RIR’s regional pool were exhausted at different times under different rules.
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IANA states that its IPv4 supply has been exhausted. The final global allocations followed a policy adopted by ICANN in 2009, described below. Each RIR then ran through its own final phase.
RIPE NCC, which serves Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia, reports that it allocated the last addresses in its available pool in November 2019 and then moved to a waiting-list policy. That is a dated regional example. It is not the date on which all RIRs exhausted their pools, and other registries have their own inventories and rules.
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The milestones, in order
| Date | Event | What it changed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | ICANN global policy for the final allocation phase | IANA allocated a reserved /8 block to each RIR, then allocated the remaining units to the RIR whose request triggered the phase. This distributed the final global pool; it did not create new IPv4 space. | ICANN |
| 2012 | ICANN post-exhaustion policy | Created a Recovered IPv4 Pool from returned space and leftover fragments. Allocations from it begin when an RIR’s inventory falls below a set threshold, with scheduled distribution among RIRs. The allocation unit is one-fifth of the recovered pool, rounded down to a CIDR boundary, with a minimum of /24. | ICANN |
| November 2019 | RIPE NCC last allocation from its available pool | Regional waiting-list policy began for new requests. | RIPE NCC |
IANA’s current allocation-data page explains why IPv4 no longer appears in its utilization chart. The recovered-space method does not factor in utilization, and IANA states: “IPv4 is not represented as IANA’s supply has been exhausted and our allocation method for recovered address space does not factor in utilization.”
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Once fresh blocks are gone, networks that need more public IPv4 addresses have three broad options. Each has a different effect on the total supply.
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Address transfers
Organizations can acquire IPv4 space that another holder no longer needs, through the transfer market. RIPE NCC notes this as one way networks obtain surplus space. A transfer moves existing IPv4 addresses from one network to another. It does not increase the total number of addresses in circulation.
Sharing public addresses
Carrier-grade NAT and related sharing models let many subscribers use a smaller set of public IPv4 addresses. This conserves public space, but RFC 6269, Issues with IP Address Sharing, identifies operational problems: application failures, added complexity for service monitoring, and security vulnerabilities.
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Deploying IPv6
IPv6 adds a distinct and much larger address space rather than redistributing IPv4 space. RFC 6269 states: “Deploying IPv6 is the only perennial way to ease pressure on the public IPv4 address pool without the need for address sharing.” RIPE NCC likewise describes IPv6 as the long-term response.
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How to judge a response to scarcity
When an article, vendor, or network plan mentions IPv4 shortages, three questions separate the approaches:
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| Approach | Adds address capacity? | Redistributes existing IPv4? | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPv6 deployment | Yes, a distinct and much larger address space | No | Requires IPv6 support across the path and at the services being reached; RFC 6269 treats it as the enduring fix |
| Address transfers | No | Yes, between networks | Depends on finding a willing holder and applicable registry rules; RIR rules are not interchangeable |
| Carrier-grade NAT and sharing | No, it stretches the existing public pool | No | Application failures, monitoring complexity, and security concerns noted in RFC 6269 |
Regional rules add a fourth question. Inventory thresholds, waiting-list procedures, and transfer policies differ between the five RIRs, so a regional example should always name the region and date it covers.
Terms readers search for
Readers commonly phrase the topic as “What is IPv4 address exhaustion?”, “When did IPv4 run out?”, “Why do IPv4 addresses still work?”, and “What happens when IPv4 addresses run out?” The answers above follow that order: the definition, the global and regional chronology, and the continuing operation of existing addresses.
Practical reading of the term
- If a source says “IPv4 has run out,” check whether it means IANA’s global pool, a specific RIR, or a network’s own supply.
- If a source says IPv4 “stopped working,” it is describing an error; the registry milestones concern allocation, not operation.
- If a source treats sharing as a complete substitute for IPv6, note RFC 6269’s warning that sharing is not the enduring solution.
Exhaustion is a supply event in a registry system. Its effects appear in how addresses are obtained, shared and planned, while the protocol itself continues to run on the addresses already in place.
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