diff --git a/include/seastar/net/api.hh b/include/seastar/net/api.hh
index d7197342a26..c282d7fffe6 100644
--- a/include/seastar/net/api.hh
+++ b/include/seastar/net/api.hh
@@ -495,7 +495,8 @@ class network_stack {
 public:
     virtual ~network_stack() {}
     virtual server_socket listen(socket_address sa, listen_options opts) = 0;
-    // FIXME: local parameter assumes ipv4 for now, fix when adding other AF
+    // `local` may be of either family; unspecified means the wildcard address
+    // of the destination's family, with a port the system picks.
     future<connected_socket> connect(socket_address sa, socket_address = {}, transport proto = transport::TCP);
     virtual ::seastar::socket socket() = 0;
 
diff --git a/include/seastar/net/socket_defs.hh b/include/seastar/net/socket_defs.hh
index 28928c34fd7..9e31a70049a 100644
--- a/include/seastar/net/socket_defs.hh
+++ b/include/seastar/net/socket_defs.hh
@@ -120,7 +120,8 @@ struct ipv4_addr {
     ipv4_addr(const std::string &addr, uint16_t port);
     // throws if not an ipv4 addr
     ipv4_addr(const net::inet_address&, uint16_t);
-    ipv4_addr(const socket_address &) noexcept;
+    // throws if the address is IPv6 and not IPv4-mapped
+    ipv4_addr(const socket_address &);
     ipv4_addr(const ::in_addr&, uint16_t = 0) noexcept;
 
     bool is_ip_unspecified() const noexcept {
@@ -160,6 +161,10 @@ std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream&, const ipv6_addr&);
 inline bool operator==(const ipv4_addr &lhs, const ipv4_addr& rhs) noexcept {
     return lhs.ip == rhs.ip && lhs.port == rhs.port;
 }
+
+inline bool operator==(const ipv6_addr &lhs, const ipv6_addr& rhs) noexcept {
+    return lhs.ip == rhs.ip && lhs.port == rhs.port;
+}
 }
 
 namespace std {
@@ -172,6 +177,10 @@ struct hash<seastar::ipv4_addr> {
     size_t operator()(const seastar::ipv4_addr&) const;
 };
 template<>
+struct hash<seastar::ipv6_addr> {
+    size_t operator()(const seastar::ipv6_addr&) const;
+};
+template<>
 struct hash<seastar::unix_domain_addr> {
     size_t operator()(const seastar::unix_domain_addr&) const;
 };
diff --git a/src/net/inet_address.cc b/src/net/inet_address.cc
index 8aadc7e9726..84480e02730 100644
--- a/src/net/inet_address.cc
+++ b/src/net/inet_address.cc
@@ -368,6 +368,7 @@ ::in_port_t seastar::socket_address::port() const noexcept {
 bool seastar::socket_address::is_wildcard() const noexcept {
     switch (family()) {
     case AF_INET: {
+            // cannot throw: the address is AF_INET here
             ipv4_addr addr(*this);
             return addr.is_ip_unspecified() && addr.is_port_unspecified();
         }
@@ -432,3 +433,9 @@ size_t std::hash<seastar::ipv4_addr>::operator()(const seastar::ipv4_addr& x) co
     boost::hash_combine(h, x.port);
     return h;
 }
+
+size_t std::hash<seastar::ipv6_addr>::operator()(const seastar::ipv6_addr& x) const {
+    size_t h = boost::hash_range(x.ip.begin(), x.ip.end());
+    boost::hash_combine(h, x.port);
+    return h;
+}
diff --git a/src/net/native-stack.cc b/src/net/native-stack.cc
index fcbf89b22e2..bb4ebadde1c 100644
--- a/src/net/native-stack.cc
+++ b/src/net/native-stack.cc
@@ -210,6 +210,9 @@ net::datagram_channel native_network_stack::make_unbound_datagram_channel(sa_fam
 }
 
 net::datagram_channel native_network_stack::make_bound_datagram_channel(const socket_address& local) {
+    if (local.family() != AF_INET && !local.is_unspecified()) {
+        throw std::runtime_error("Unsupported address family");
+    }
     return _inet.get_udp().make_channel(local);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/net/net.cc b/src/net/net.cc
index a25db26a479..cf8e5395760 100644
--- a/src/net/net.cc
+++ b/src/net/net.cc
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ ipv4_addr::ipv4_addr(const net::inet_address& a, uint16_t port)
     : ipv4_addr(::in_addr(a), port)
 {}
 
-ipv4_addr::ipv4_addr(const socket_address &sa) noexcept
+ipv4_addr::ipv4_addr(const socket_address &sa)
     : ipv4_addr(sa.addr(), sa.port())
 {}
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/ipv6_test.cc b/tests/unit/ipv6_test.cc
index d582ae0181f..f23c791f802 100644
--- a/tests/unit/ipv6_test.cc
+++ b/tests/unit/ipv6_test.cc
@@ -161,6 +161,21 @@ SEASTAR_TEST_CASE(dual_stack_listen_test) {
     }
 }
 
+// ipv6_addr compares and hashes like ipv4_addr.
+SEASTAR_TEST_CASE(ipv6_addr_value_type_test) {
+    const ipv6_addr a("2001:db8::1", 9092);
+    const ipv6_addr same("2001:db8::1", 9092);
+    const ipv6_addr other_port("2001:db8::1", 9093);
+    const ipv6_addr other_addr("2001:db8::2", 9092);
+
+    BOOST_REQUIRE(a == same);
+    BOOST_REQUIRE(!(a == other_port));
+    BOOST_REQUIRE(!(a == other_addr));
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_EQUAL(std::hash<ipv6_addr>()(a), std::hash<ipv6_addr>()(same));
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_NE(std::hash<ipv6_addr>()(a), std::hash<ipv6_addr>()(other_port));
+    return make_ready_future();
+}
+
 SEASTAR_TEST_CASE(ipv6_equal_test) {
     const uint16_t port{8080};
     const uint16_t port2{8088};
diff --git a/tests/unit/network_interface_test.cc b/tests/unit/network_interface_test.cc
index 2ab63387d0a..143d6bc782b 100644
--- a/tests/unit/network_interface_test.cc
+++ b/tests/unit/network_interface_test.cc
@@ -194,6 +194,19 @@ SEASTAR_TEST_CASE(test_ipv6_addr_string_forms) {
     return make_ready_future();
 }
 
+// The socket_address -> ipv4_addr conversion is reachable with an address of
+// either family (it is implicit), so a non-mapped IPv6 one has to report an
+// error rather than terminate the process from a noexcept function.
+SEASTAR_TEST_CASE(test_ipv4_addr_from_socket_address) {
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_EQUAL(ipv4_addr(socket_address(ipv4_addr("10.0.0.1", 9092))).port, 9092);
+    // IPv4-mapped is an IPv4 address in an IPv6 shape, so it converts
+    BOOST_REQUIRE_EQUAL(ipv4_addr(socket_address(ipv6_addr("::ffff:10.0.0.1", 9092))),
+                        ipv4_addr("10.0.0.1", 9092));
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW(ipv4_addr(socket_address(ipv6_addr("2001:db8::1", 9092))), std::invalid_argument);
+    BOOST_CHECK_THROW(ipv4_addr(socket_address(ipv6_addr("::1", 0))), std::invalid_argument);
+    return make_ready_future();
+}
+
 SEASTAR_TEST_CASE(test_inet_address_format) {
     const std::string tests[] = {
         // IPv4 addresses