An IPv6-only VPS in 2026: what actually runs
IPv6-only VPS plans now start at $2.50/month. What can you realistically run on an address without IPv4 in 2026 — and how to bridge the few things that still need it.
In September 2026 the entry-level NoctisNode tier became truly IPv6-first (announcement): an IPv6-only VPS for $2.50, while every other plan keeps dedicated IPv4 plus a /64 IPv6. The practical question: what do you lose on an IPv6-only box — and what do you not?
What runs fine on IPv6-only
Most 2026 software is dual-stack or IPv6-native out of the box. Here is the short list of what works with zero extra effort:
- ▹Web servers and reverse proxies: Caddy, nginx, Traefik.
- ▹Peer-to-peer and mesh: WireGuard (use IPv6 endpoints), Tor, syncthing.
- ▹Databases, containers, CI runners — any listener that binds :::443 or :::0.
- ▹DNS, mail transfer agents, monitoring stacks.
What still needs an IPv4 bridge
The awkward tail: services whose clients or peers are still IPv4-only. Options:
- ▹DNS64 + NAT64 at the gateway — transparent for outbound traffic.
- ▹Dual-stack on a second, normal plan — best for user-facing services.
- ▹A relay (Tor, a WireGuard exit with IPv4, or a tunnelled wireguard-vpn) for stubborn peers.
Why the IPv6-only tier exists
- ▹Unmetered bandwidth on a clean, fully-routable /64 address space.
- ▹Real isolation from the shared IPv4 reputation pools many hosts inherited.
- ▹The lowest-cost entry into the ecosystem — $2.50/month with full root.
The short version
- ▹IPv6-only runs almost everything modern unmodified.
- ▹For user-facing services, grab dual-stack on a standard plan and keep the $2.50 tier for hops, nodes and experiments.
- ▹If it listens, it binds — most grief is outbound-only and solved with NAT64/DNS64.
- ▹Deploy is still ~35 seconds, no KYC, crypto billing.