Understanding Network Address Translation (NAT)

Network Address Translation (NAT) is a method used to map private IP addresses to a single public IP address. It allows multiple devices in a local network to access the internet using a shared public IP. But before exploring the NAT, Let’s see what is private and public network addresses. Visit the detailed tutorial on the network here.

Private IP Addresses in Networking

In networking, private addresses are reserved IP addresses that are not routable on the public internet. They are designated for use within private networks, allowing multiple devices to communicate internally without requiring unique public IP addresses. The three commonly used private IP address ranges are:

Class A Private Address Range:

• Example: 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
• Devices within a network using IP addresses in this range can communicate with each other privately.

Class B Private Address Range:

• Example: 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
• Similar to Class A, devices within this range can communicate privately within their…