To access a local resource or service over IPv6 using a web browser, the process is fairly simple and resembles accessing IPv4 resources, with some key differences given the unique characteristics of IPv6 addresses.

We leave you a step-by-step guide to achieve it:

1. Make sure your network supports IPv6

First, it is essential that your local network supports IPv6. This includes your router, and any other network devices between your browser and the local resource you are trying to access. You should also make sure that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers IPv6 support if you are trying to access resources that are not on your local network but require an IPv6 connection.

2. Configure your server to use IPv6

The server hosting the resource or service must be configured to listen for IPv6 connections. This usually involves adjusting the server configuration (e.g. Apache, Nginx, IIS) to enable IPv6 support and assigning it a specific IPv6 address if it doesn't already have one.

3. Get the IPv6 address of the resource

You need to know the IPv6 address of the resource you are trying to access. If it is a local resource, you can obtain the device's IPv6 address directly from its network settings or using networking tools such as ipconfig (on Windows) or ifconfig / ip addr (on Unix/Linux systems).

4. Access the resource using your browser

With the IPv6 address in hand, you can access the resource directly from your web browser as follows:

• Type the IPv6 address into the browser's address bar, but you must enclose the address in square brackets ([]). For example, if your IPv6 address is 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334, you must write http://[2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334] in the address bar.
• If the service runs on a specific port that is not the standard port (port 80 for HTTP or port 443 for HTTPS), you must include the port number in the URL. For example, http://[2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334]:8080.

Additional notes

• Make sure any firewall or security software is configured to allow IPv6 traffic to the desired resource.
• Some browsers and operating systems may require additional configurations to fully support IPv6 or to give it preference over IPv4 when both options are available.

By following these steps, you should be able to seamlessly access local resources or services that use IPv6 through your web browser.