apple / apple/container

[Request]: Automatic public IPv6 prefix mapping / delegation from host

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Dominant language
Swift
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Description

### Description

Currently, the main way to expose containers to public IPv6 is through manual port publishing (`-p [::]:hostport:containerport`) or using `--network host`.

I would like **native support for automatically mapping the host's public IPv6 address** (Global Unicast Address) to containers, so that containers can directly receive and use the host's public IPv6 prefix without manual port mapping.

### Use Case

- Home users with native IPv6 broadband (/64 or /56 prefix from ISP).
- Running web services, APIs, or other servers that need to be directly accessible via public IPv6.
- Simplifying deployment by allowing containers to behave more like they have their own public IP, reducing port conflicts on the host.

### Proposed Feature

Add support for **automatic public IPv6 mapping**, for example:

```bash
# Option 1: When creating a network
container network create mynet --subnet-v6 auto-public

# Option 2: When running a container
container run --network mynet --ipv6-public-mapping ...

# Option 3: A global flag
container run --public-ipv6 ...

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

The issue names no files, tests, or entry points. Start by locating the existing network creation, IPv6, and port-publishing paths, then determine how automatic public-prefix delegation should integrate with them; done requires an agreed behavior and implementation scope for the proposed options.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
swift
Domain
networking
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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