Network address translation

<p>Network address translation (NAT) is a method of mapping an IP <a href="/facts/Address_space/EscyYKkP">address space</a> into another by modifying <a href="/facts/Network_address/W7RQVwBr">network address</a> information in the <a href="/facts/IP_header/GnYmfPLq">IP header</a> of packets while they are in transit across a traffic <a href="/facts/Router_(computing)/Nh5cIyVf">routing device</a>.  The technique was initially used to bypass the need to assign a new address to every host when a network was moved, or when the upstream <a href="/facts/Internet_service_provider/dUacAxef">Internet service provider</a> was replaced but could not route the network's address space. It has become a popular and essential tool in conserving global address space in the face of <a href="/facts/IPv4_address_exhaustion/8cxJwQ1Q">IPv4 address exhaustion</a>. One Internet-routable <a href="/facts/IP_address/z9V22Sw9">IP address</a> of a NAT gateway can be used for an entire <a href="/facts/Private_network/CqVdg83c">private network</a>.
</p><p>As network address translation modifies the IP address information in packets, NAT implementations may vary in their specific behavior in various addressing cases and their effect on network traffic. Vendors of equipment containing NAT implementations do not commonly document the specifics of NAT behavior.
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Network address translation open-in-new

Network address translation