NAT is used to map multiple local private addresses to a single IP address.
- Network address translation (NAT) is defined as the process of mapping private IP addresses to a single public IP address while information is being transferred via a router or NAT firewall.
- This article explains how NAT works and its uses and gives a few examples.
What Is Network Address Translation (NAT)?
Network address translation (NAT) is the process of mapping private IP addresses to a single public IP address while information is being transferred via a router or NAT firewall. NAT is used by organizations with multiple devices needing access to the internet via a single public IP address.
If all the devices on a private network are configured to use the same public IP address range, the number of IP addresses required is greatly reduced, which helps conserve address space. Since NAT hides internal IP addresses and mapping information, it can also be used as a basic firewall to help protect LANs from hacking and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
For more information on NAT’s, please review this article we found helpful.