After providing free IPv6 connectivity testing services to the global internet community since 2010, test-ipv6.com will permanently shut down in December 2025. The site's creator, jfesler, announced the retirement citing the need to refocus resources within his family after 15 years of maintaining the service without any revenue.
The announcement has sparked significant discussion in the tech community, with many users sharing their experiences and concerns about finding suitable alternatives. The site has been a crucial tool for network administrators, developers, and everyday users to test their IPv6 connectivity and troubleshoot deployment issues.
Service Timeline
- Launch: 2010
- Shutdown Date: December 2025 (during winter break)
- Service Duration: 15 years of free operation
Community Reaction and Recognition
The shutdown announcement has generated an outpouring of gratitude from users who relied on the service over the years. Many community members have praised jfesler's dedication and engineering expertise, with some colleagues revealing they work with him professionally but never knew he was behind the popular testing site. The humble nature of the creator has particularly impressed users, with one noting his willingness to help others despite being described as a 10x engineer.
Several users have expressed concern about the tone of the announcement, sensing potential personal distress behind the decision. However, the community has largely shown understanding and respect for the creator's choice to prioritize family over maintaining a resource-intensive free service.
Technical Challenges and Alternatives
The discussion has highlighted ongoing IPv6 deployment challenges that make test-ipv6.com particularly valuable. Users have shared various technical issues they face, from ISP routing problems to router compatibility issues with IPv6. Some report packet loss over IPv6 connections, forcing them to fall back to IPv4 networks that use Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT), which creates its own set of limitations.
The search for alternatives has begun, with community members noting that other IPv6 testing sites either run fewer diagnostic tests or incorrectly report IPv6 availability. This has led to suggestions that reputable organizations like Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) or major tech companies might consider hosting replacement services.
Available Source Code Components
- Main source: http://github.com/falling-sky/source
- Build tools: https://github.com/falling-sky/fsbuilder
- Apache IP handler: https://github.com/falling-sky/mod_ip
- MTU daemon: https://github.com/falling-sky/mtu1280d
- Not Available: Geolocation and service provider lookup components (contractual restrictions)
IPv6 Adoption Debate
The announcement has reignited discussions about IPv6 adoption progress. While some argue that new projects in 2025 should mandate IPv6 support, others share real-world experiences of deployment difficulties. The debate reveals a divide between those pushing for aggressive IPv6 adoption and practitioners dealing with compatibility issues in production environments.
IPv4 works. IPv6 often doesn't. I'd love to see a benefit in ipv6, I see no benefits at all, I can't run an ipv6 only network, so I have to run ipv4, and everything I need runs on ipv4, why do I need to double my workload to run ipv6 and ipv4.
Current statistics show IPv6 adoption has reached approximately 50% globally, suggesting another 15 years might be needed to achieve widespread deployment based on current progress rates.
IPv6 Adoption Statistics
- Current global adoption: ~50%
- Projected timeline for full adoption: Additional 15 years based on current progress
- Major traffic sources: Mobile networks (Google/Meta to mobile devices predominantly use IPv6)
Future of the Service
The creator has made portions of the site's source code available on GitHub, though some components involving geolocation and service provider lookups cannot be released due to contractual obligations. He has indicated openness to transferring the domain to reputable RIR or NIC organizations serving the public interest.
Community members have suggested potential successors, including organizations that have previously taken over similar services. The Internet Society Group (ISG) has been mentioned as a possible candidate, potentially with sponsorship support to cover operational costs.
The shutdown serves as a reminder of how critical internet infrastructure often depends on individual volunteers. As one community member noted, there's likely an engineer somewhere who will get paged on Christmas Day (United States) due to a hidden dependency on this site, echoing the famous situation described in relevant internet comics about essential but unrecognized digital infrastructure.
Reference: Retiring test-ipv6.com