Which of the following describes the Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) addressing format?

The Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) addressing format is correctly described as a 32-bit format. Each IPv4 address consists of four octets, where each octet is 8 bits long. When combined, they create a total of 32 bits, which allows for approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses (2^32). This format is typically represented in decimal format as four decimal numbers separated by periods, known as dot-decimal notation (for example, 192.168.1.1).

The other options do not accurately describe the IPv4 addressing scheme. A 64-bit format is associated with IPv6, not IPv4, while a format with 4 bits fails to account for the complexity and scale of addresses. A 128-bit format is also indicative of IPv6, which was designed to address the limitations of IPv4 and accommodates a much larger number of addresses. Thus, the specification of 32 bits is intrinsic to the definition of IPv4 and its functionality in networking.