TCP hole punching

TCP NAT traversal and TCP hole punching (sometimes NAT punch-through) in <a href="/facts/Computer_network/3w5RM99p">computer networking</a> occurs when two hosts behind a <a href="/facts/Network_address_translation/nFweFNfN">network address translation</a> (NAT) are trying to connect to each other with outbound TCP connections. Such a scenario is particularly important in the case of <a href="/facts/Peer-to-peer/wCCdPb0H">peer-to-peer</a> communications, such as <a href="/facts/Voice-over-IP/5QGBbXYg">Voice-over-IP</a> (VoIP), file sharing, teleconferencing, chat systems and similar applications.
TCP hole punching is an experimentally used <a href="/facts/NAT_traversal/HVds5bqC">NAT traversal</a> technique for establishing a TCP connection between two peers on the <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a> behind NAT devices. NAT traversal is a general term for techniques that establish and maintain <a href="/facts/TCP%2fIP/KNkxtSpw">TCP/IP</a> network and/or <a href="/facts/Transmission_Control_Protocol/WW4sPrt9">TCP</a> connections traversing NAT gateways.

TCP hole punching open-in-new

TCP hole punching