diff --git a/src/protocols-table.js b/src/protocols-table.js
index 0b8f2aa6..a9d6419d 100644
--- a/src/protocols-table.js
+++ b/src/protocols-table.js
@@ -36,9 +36,13 @@ Protocols.table = [
   [132, 16, 'sctp'],
   // all of the below use varint for size
   [302, 0, 'utp'],
-  [421, Protocols.lengthPrefixedVarSize, 'ipfs'],
-  // preferred name for 421 (added below ipfs, p2p takes precedence during table population)
+  // `p2p` is the preferred name for 421
   [421, Protocols.lengthPrefixedVarSize, 'p2p'],
+  // `ipfs` has been added after `p2p` so that it is used by default.
+  // The reason for this is to provide better backwards support for
+  // code bases that do not yet support the `p2p` proto name. Eventually
+  // `p2p` should become the default.
+  [421, Protocols.lengthPrefixedVarSize, 'ipfs'],
   [480, 0, 'http'],
   [443, 0, 'https'],
   [460, 0, 'quic'],
diff --git a/test/index.spec.js b/test/index.spec.js
index cfe00c1f..fa7171c9 100644
--- a/test/index.spec.js
+++ b/test/index.spec.js
@@ -215,6 +215,13 @@ describe('variants', () => {
     const str = '/ip4/127.0.0.1/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC/tcp/1234'
     const addr = multiaddr(str)
     expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
+    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str.replace('/p2p/', '/ipfs/'))
+  })
+
+  it('ip4 + ipfs', () => {
+    const str = '/ip4/127.0.0.1/ipfs/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC/tcp/1234'
+    const addr = multiaddr(str)
+    expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
     expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
   })
 
@@ -222,7 +229,7 @@ describe('variants', () => {
     const str = '/ip6/2001:8a0:7ac5:4201:3ac9:86ff:fe31:7095/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC/tcp/1234'
     const addr = multiaddr(str)
     expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
-    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
+    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str.replace('/p2p/', '/ipfs/'))
   })
 
   it.skip('ip4 + dccp', () => {})
@@ -288,10 +295,24 @@ describe('variants', () => {
     expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
   })
 
+  it('ip6 + tcp + websockets + ipfs', () => {
+    const str = '/ip6/2001:8a0:7ac5:4201:3ac9:86ff:fe31:7095/tcp/8000/ws/ipfs/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC'
+    const addr = multiaddr(str)
+    expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
+    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
+  })
+
   it('ip6 + tcp + websockets + p2p', () => {
     const str = '/ip6/2001:8a0:7ac5:4201:3ac9:86ff:fe31:7095/tcp/8000/ws/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC'
     const addr = multiaddr(str)
     expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
+    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str.replace('/p2p/', '/ipfs/'))
+  })
+
+  it('ip6 + udp + quic + ipfs', () => {
+    const str = '/ip6/2001:8a0:7ac5:4201:3ac9:86ff:fe31:7095/udp/4001/quic/ipfs/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC'
+    const addr = multiaddr(str)
+    expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
     expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
   })
 
@@ -299,13 +320,20 @@ describe('variants', () => {
     const str = '/ip6/2001:8a0:7ac5:4201:3ac9:86ff:fe31:7095/udp/4001/quic/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC'
     const addr = multiaddr(str)
     expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
-    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
+    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str.replace('/p2p/', '/ipfs/'))
   })
 
   it('p2p', () => {
     const str = '/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC'
     const addr = multiaddr(str)
     expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
+    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str.replace('/p2p/', '/ipfs/'))
+  })
+
+  it('ipfs', () => {
+    const str = '/ipfs/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC'
+    const addr = multiaddr(str)
+    expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
     expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
   })
 
@@ -313,13 +341,20 @@ describe('variants', () => {
     const str = '/p2p-circuit/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC'
     const addr = multiaddr(str)
     expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
-    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
+    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str.replace('/p2p/', '/ipfs/'))
   })
 
   it('p2p-circuit p2p', () => {
     const str = '/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC/p2p-circuit'
     const addr = multiaddr(str)
     expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
+    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str.replace('/p2p/', '/ipfs/'))
+  })
+
+  it('p2p-circuit ipfs', () => {
+    const str = '/ipfs/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC/p2p-circuit'
+    const addr = multiaddr(str)
+    expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
     expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
   })
 
@@ -327,6 +362,13 @@ describe('variants', () => {
     const str = '/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/9090/ws/p2p-webrtc-star/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC'
     const addr = multiaddr(str)
     expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
+    expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str.replace('/p2p/', '/ipfs/'))
+  })
+
+  it('p2p-webrtc-star ipfs', () => {
+    const str = '/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/9090/ws/p2p-webrtc-star/ipfs/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC'
+    const addr = multiaddr(str)
+    expect(addr).to.have.property('buffer')
     expect(addr.toString()).to.equal(str)
   })
 
@@ -381,7 +423,7 @@ describe('helpers', () => {
         }])
     })
 
-    it('works with ipfs/p2p', () => {
+    it('works with ipfs', () => {
       expect(
         multiaddr('/ip4/0.0.0.0/utp/ipfs/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC').protos()
       ).to.be.eql([{
@@ -396,7 +438,28 @@ describe('helpers', () => {
         resolvable: false
       }, {
         code: 421,
-        name: 'p2p',
+        name: 'ipfs',
+        size: -1,
+        resolvable: false
+      }])
+    })
+
+    it('works with p2p', () => {
+      expect(
+        multiaddr('/ip4/0.0.0.0/utp/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC').protos()
+      ).to.be.eql([{
+        code: 4,
+        name: 'ip4',
+        size: 32,
+        resolvable: false
+      }, {
+        code: 302,
+        name: 'utp',
+        size: 0,
+        resolvable: false
+      }, {
+        code: 421,
+        name: 'ipfs',
         size: -1,
         resolvable: false
       }])
@@ -586,11 +649,16 @@ describe('helpers', () => {
   })
 
   describe('.getPeerId should parse id from multiaddr', () => {
-    it('parses extracts the peer Id from a multiaddr', () => {
+    it('parses extracts the peer Id from a multiaddr, p2p', () => {
       expect(
         multiaddr('/p2p-circuit/p2p/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC').getPeerId()
       ).to.equal('QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC')
     })
+    it('parses extracts the peer Id from a multiaddr, ipfs', () => {
+      expect(
+        multiaddr('/p2p-circuit/ipfs/QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC').getPeerId()
+      ).to.equal('QmcgpsyWgH8Y8ajJz1Cu72KnS5uo2Aa2LpzU7kinSupNKC')
+    })
   })
 
   describe('.getPeerId should return null on missing peer id in multiaddr', () => {