IPv6
מבנה חבילה ב־IPv6

| Offsets> Octet | Octet> Bit | 0 | 0> 1 | 0> 2 | 0> 3 | 0> 4 | 0> 5 | 0> 6 | 0> 7 | 1> 8 | 1> 9 | 1> 10 | 1> 11 | 1> 12 | 1> 13 | 1> 14 | 1> 15 | 2> 16 | 2> 17 | 2> 18 | 2> 19 | 2> 20 | 2> 21 | 2> 22 | 2> 23 | 3> 24 | 3> 25 | 3> 26 | 3> 27 | 3> 28 | 3> 29 | 3> 30 | 3> 31 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 0 | 0 | Version | Version | Version | Version | Traffic Class | Traffic Class | Traffic Class | Traffic Class | Traffic Class | Traffic Class | Traffic Class | Traffic Class | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label | Flow Label |
| 4 | 32 | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Payload Length | Next Header | Next Header | Next Header | Next Header | Next Header | Next Header | Next Header | Next Header | Hop Limit | Hop Limit | Hop Limit | Hop Limit | Hop Limit | Hop Limit | Hop Limit | Hop Limit |
| 8 | 64 | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address |
| 12 | 96 | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address |
| 16 | 128 | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address |
| 20 | 160 | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address | Source Address |
| 24 | 192 | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address |
| 28 | 224 | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address |
| 32 | 256 | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address |
| 36 | 288 | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address | Destination Address |
בניגוד לפרוטוקול IPv4 שם השדות האופציונליים מקודדים בכותר עצמו, השדות האופציונליים ב־IPv6 מקודדים ב"הרחבות כותרים" (extension headers). הרחבות כותרים מאפשרות באופן תאורטי להוסיף אינסוף שדות אופציונליים לחבילה נתונה. לעומת זאת, ב־IPv4 מספר השדות האופציונליים מוגבל על ידי השדה IHL שאורכו 4 סיביות והוא מגדיר את אורך הפתיח ביחידות של 4 בתים (כלומר עד 64 בתים כולל החלק הקבוע של הפתיח או 44 bytes לשדות האופציונליים בלבד). המשמעות של ההבדל הזה היא שההשוואה בין הפתיחים של שני הפרוטוקולים היא מורכבת. כמו כן, המבנה השונה של הפתיחים דורש תרגום של הפתיחים בנוסף לכתובות הרשת במעבר של חבילות בין רשת IPv4 לרשת IPv6 ולהפך באמצעותNAT64 (אנ').