ff00::/8 (IPv6 Multicast)
ReservedRFC 4291
ff00::/8 at a glance
| CIDR block | ff00::/8 |
|---|---|
| First address | ff00:: |
| Last address | ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff |
| Total addresses | 2¹²⁰ |
| Prefix mask | ff00:: |
| Prefix length | /8 |
| Type | Reserved |
| Publicly routable | No |
| Defined in | RFC 4291 |
What is ff00::/8 used for?
ff00::/8 is the IPv6 multicast range. IPv6 has no broadcast, so multicast replaces it: ff02::1 reaches all nodes on the link and ff02::2 all routers. The fourth hex digit sets the scope, for example 2 for link-local and 5 for site-local.
FAQ
What is ff02::1?
The all-nodes multicast address on the local link. Every IPv6 host listens on it, so ping ff02::1%eth0 finds all neighbors.
Does IPv6 have a broadcast address?
No. IPv6 uses multicast instead, such as ff02::1 for all nodes and solicited-node addresses (ff02::1:ffXX:XXXX) for neighbor discovery.