Comparison of IPv6 application support

This is a comparison of popular Internet applications in regards to their support of the IPv6 protocol.

IPv6 support table

Application	Category	IPv6 supported?	Zone ID supported?	Earliest version # with IPv6 support	Notes	Reference links
AbsoluteTelnet	SSH client, Telnet client, SFTP Client	Yes	No	5.01	Supports SSH, Telnet, and SFTP	[1]
Active Directory	LDAP server
Apache httpd	Web server	Yes	Template:N/a	2.0.14	"Virtual hosts on IPv6 addresses are broken in versions until 2.0.28"	[2]
Apple Mail	e-mail client	Yes
BIND	DNS server	Yes	Template:N/a
BSD Telnet	Console application	Yes	Yes	1.2?	Telnet and telnetd from OpenBSD.
CUPS	Digital printing	Yes		1.2		[3]
cURL	File transfer software	Yes
ffproxy	Proxy server	Yes		1.5	Non-caching proxy.
FileZilla	FTP, FTPS and SFTP client	Yes		3.1.0-beta1		[4][5]
ftp.exe	Console application	Yes	Yes	5.1 (XP)	Standard Windows FTP client.
Google Chrome	Web browser	Yes		Initial
Hiawatha	Web server	Yes	Template:N/a	6.0
IIS	Web server	Yes	Template:N/a	6.0
Internet Explorer	Web browser	Yes	No	4.01	Versions before 7.0 may not be able to handle numerical addresses. Macintosh versions do not support IPv6.	[6][7][8]
Irssi	IRC client	Yes		0.7.15		[9]
Java	Programming language	Yes	Yes	1.4.2	Support on Windows XP/2003 was added in Java 1.5.0	[10][11][12]
Konqueror	Web browser	Yes	Yes	2.2		[13]
lighttpd	Web server	Yes	Template:N/a
Linux CIFS VFS	SMB/CIFS client	Yes		1.49	cifs vfs version 1.48 is part of kernel 2.6.21	[14]
Linux NetKit ftp	Console application	Yes	Yes	0.17?	Standard Linux FTP client.
Linux NetKit Telnet	Console application	Yes	Yes	0.17?	Standard Linux telnet client and server.
Microsoft DNS	DNS server	Yes	Template:N/a	5.0 (2000)	Windows 2000 DNS can handle AAAA records, but the operating system does not ship with IPv6.	[15]
Microsoft Outlook	e-mail client	Yes		2003?
mIRC	IRC client	No
Mozilla / SeaMonkey	Web browser	Yes			IPv6 is not preferred by default on Mac OS X.	[16] [17] [18]
Mozilla Firefox	Web browser	Yes	Yes	1.5	IPv6 is not preferred by default on Mac OS X in Firefox 1.5 or 2.0, only in 3.0.	[19] [20]
Mozilla Thunderbird	e-mail client	Yes			Version 2.0 & later appears to work with Mac OS X Version 10.4.9.	[21]
Nmap	Console application	Yes	Yes	3.10ALPHA1	Zone ID support since version 4.65	[22]
Nortel Networks VPN client	VPN client	?				[23]
Novell eDirectory	LDAP server
OpenLDAP	LDAP server	Yes		2.0.0		[24]
OpenSSH	SSH client/server	Yes	Yes
OpenVPN	VPN client	Planned		2.0	Does not support "server mode" in IPv6: multiple tunnels require separate ports.	[25]
Opera	Web browser	Yes	No	7.20b	IPv6 support on Macintosh was added in Opera 9.0	[26] [27] [28] [29]
Outlook Express	e-mail client	No	Template:N/a		Windows Mail on the Windows Vista platform has IPv6 support.	[30]
Pidgin	Instant messenger	Yes		2.0 (GAIM had support in older builds)	IPv6 is enabled on Linux builds, but not on Win32 builds.	[31]
Polipo	Proxy server	Yes	No	0.8	Can be used for proxying between IPv4 and IPv6
Privoxy	Proxy server	Yes		3.0.13 beta		[32] [33]
PuTTY	SSH client	Yes	Yes	0.58	Fully functional (also Zone ID's) from 0.59	[34]
Quagga	Routing software	Yes	Template:N/a		OSPFv3 area support is incomplete.	[35] [36]
rsync	differential file synchronizer	Yes		2.5.0	native IPv6 support since 2.5.0, but hosts allow/deny in rsync.conf didn't work until 2.5.6.	[37] [38]
Safari	Web browser	Yes	No			[39]
Samba	SMB/CIFS client/server	Yes		3.2.0		[40]
Simple DNS Plus	DNS server	Yes	Template:N/a	5.0 (Jan 2008)		[41]
SmartFTP	FTP and SFTP client	Yes
srelay	SOCKS server	Yes	Template:N/a
Squid cache	Proxy server	Yes		3.0STABLE1	Development work has been intermittent from 2001-2007.	[42] [43]
telnet.exe	Console application	Yes	Yes	5.1 (XP)	Standard Windows telnet client.
TightVNC	VNC	Template:Optional		Protocol version 3.5	Experimental IPv6 builds were made available in 2004.	[44]
tinc	VPN client	Yes		1.0	Defaults to IPv6; can be set to IPv4-only.	[45]
Trillian	Instant Messenger	?
UDP Speed Test 3	Network Speed Test Tool	Yes	Yes	3.05	Unicast, Broadcast, Multicast, Anycast.	[46]
VLC	Multimedia player	Yes
Wget	File transfer software	Yes		1.9?	May default to IPv4 transfers: use the "-6" option to override.	[47]
Winamp	Multimedia player	Yes		5.34		[48]
Windows Media Player	Multimedia player	Yes		9.0?		[49]
Windows File and print sharing	SMB/CIFS client/server	Yes		5.2 (Server 2003)	Windows XP does not support IPv6 at the SMB/CIFS layer. The protocol is available for other applications ("ipv6 install" pre-SP1; protocol install afterwards).	[50] [51] [52]
WWWOFFLE	Proxy server	Yes	No	2.6d		[53]
XChat	IRC client	Yes		1.7.0		[54]
xinetd	Networking daemon	Yes		1.89	Version 2.3.3 or newer recommended to avoid security issues.	[55]
µTorrent	BitTorrent client	Yes		1.8

Programs that bridge IPv4 with IPv6

• http://toxygen.net/6tunnel/ 6tunnel & NT6tunnel: IPv4-IPv6 port proxy
• stone: can be used to provide IPv4 ports at the IPv6 layer. [56]
• 46Bouncer: IPv4-IPv6 bridging application; last updated in late 2001. [57]
• Perdition mail retrieval proxy can connect IPv6 POP/IMAP clients with IPv4 POP/IMAP servers and vice-versa

In addition to the above specific tools, many client/server applications can be configured to go through a double-stack HTTP or SOCKS proxy to reach the other Internet. Those that cannot can often use an SSH tunnel.

Other references

• Vendor-Application database
• "Current Status of IPv6 Support for Networking Applications": last updated in 7-2007.
• IPv6 Application and Patch Database
• "IPv6 Enabled Applications": last updated in 3-2003.
• "Hints for IPv6-enabled daemons": chapter 21 of TLDP's Linux IPv6 HOWTO.
• Implementing AF-independent application by Jun-ichiro itojun Hagino.
• Porting Applications to IPv6 by Eva M. Castro.
• RFC 4007 - IPv6 Scoped Address Architecture, details the textual representation of zone indices.

See also

• IPv6 translation mechanisms