What does NAT stand for?

NAT stands for Network Address Translation, which is a crucial function in networking. It enables the mapping of private/internal IP addresses to a public/external IP address. This process is particularly important for allowing multiple devices on a local network to share a single public IP address when accessing resources on the internet, thereby conserving the limited number of IP addresses available under IPv4.

By translating the IP addresses, NAT also enhances security by concealing the internal IP addresses of devices, making it more difficult for external malicious entities to directly target specific devices within a private network. This function allows for the efficient management of IP address usage and facilitates more secure internet communication for a variety of devices, such as computers, smartphones, and IoT devices that may be operating under a single internet connection.