NAT Explained - Network Address Translation
Summary
TLDRNetwork Address Translation (NAT) is a crucial service in routers that conserves the limited supply of IPv4 public addresses by translating private IP addresses for multiple devices to a single public IP. Created in response to the unforeseen growth of the internet, NAT allows for efficient internet access without the need for each device to have its own public IP address. As we transition to IPv6, which can provide a public IP for every device on Earth, the need for NAT and private IPs will diminish, thanks to its capability to generate over 340 undecillion unique addresses, ensuring no shortage in the future.
Takeaways
- 🌐 NAT stands for Network Address Translation, a service used in routers to manage IP addresses.
- 🔄 The purpose of NAT is to translate a set of IP addresses, typically from private to public, to conserve IP address space.
- 🚀 The creation of NAT was prompted by the realization that the initial 4 billion IPv4 addresses would not be sufficient for the growing internet.
- 📊 IPv4 addresses are divided into public and private types, with public addresses required for internet access and private addresses used internally.
- 🏢 Private IP addresses are not registered on the internet and cannot be used to directly access the internet; they are assigned by routers within a local network.
- 🔑 Routers assign private IP addresses to devices within a home or business, conserving the need for more public IP addresses from ISPs.
- 💡 NAT allows multiple devices with private IP addresses to share a single public IP address for internet access, reducing the demand for public IP addresses.
- 🔄 NAT not only translates private IP addresses to public but also vice versa, enabling communication between the internet and devices on a private network.
- 🌐 The future of IP addressing is IPv6, which can provide a public IP address for every device on earth, eliminating the need for NAT and private IP addresses.
- 🔢 IPv6 is capable of generating an astronomical number of IP addresses, specifically over 340 undecillion, ensuring that there will never be a shortage.
- 📈 With the advent of IPv6, the limitations of IPv4 and the need for NAT will be overcome, allowing for a more expansive and efficient internet infrastructure.
Q & A
What does NAT stand for and what is its primary function?
-NAT stands for Network Address Translation. Its primary function is to translate a set of IP addresses to another set, allowing for the conservation of the limited number of IPv4 public IP addresses available globally.
Why was NAT developed?
-NAT was developed to prevent a shortage of public IPv4 addresses. When the Internet expanded beyond the expectations of its creators, the initially available 4 billion IPv4 addresses were not sufficient, leading to the creation of private IP addresses and NAT.
What is the difference between public and private IPv4 addresses?
-Public IPv4 addresses are registered on the Internet and are necessary for devices to access the Internet. Private IPv4 addresses, on the other hand, are not publicly registered and cannot be used to directly access the Internet. They are used internally within a home or business network.
How many public IPv4 addresses are available, and why are they considered limited?
-There are approximately 4 billion public IPv4 addresses available, which are considered limited due to the vast number of devices requiring Internet access. This limitation necessitates the use of NAT to conserve these addresses.
Why is it impractical to assign a public IP address to every device that needs Internet access?
-Assigning a public IP address to every device would be expensive, unnecessary, and a waste of public IP addresses. It would also deplete the available public IPv4 addresses much faster, leading to a shortage.
How does a router assign IP addresses to devices within a home or business network?
-A router assigns private IP addresses to devices within a home or business network. When these devices need to access the Internet, their private IP addresses are translated by NAT to the public IP address provided by the Internet Service Provider.
What is the role of NAT when a device with a private IP address needs to access the Internet?
-NAT translates the private IP address of a device to a public IP address, allowing it to access the Internet. This process conserves the use of public IP addresses and allows multiple devices to share a single public IP address.
How does NAT facilitate communication between a computer on the Internet and a computer on a private network?
-NAT translates the public IP address of an incoming connection to the corresponding private IP address of the device on the private network, enabling communication between the two.
What is the significance of IP version 6 (IPv6) in relation to NAT and IP address conservation?
-IPv6 is a new generation of IP addresses that can produce over 340 undecillion addresses, eliminating the need for NAT and private IP addresses. With such a vast number of addresses, every device in the world can have its own public IP address.
Why will the adoption of IPv6 reduce the reliance on NAT?
-The adoption of IPv6 will reduce the reliance on NAT because IPv6 provides an almost inexhaustible supply of unique public IP addresses, making IP address translation unnecessary.
What is the estimated number of IP addresses that IPv6 can produce, and how does this compare to IPv4?
-IPv6 can produce over 340 undecillion IP addresses, which is a number with 36 digits after the 340. This is significantly larger than the 4 billion addresses available with IPv4, ensuring that there will never be a shortage of IP addresses.
Outlines
🌐 Network Address Translation (NAT) Overview
The script introduces Network Address Translation (NAT), a service used in routers to conserve the limited supply of IPv4 public IP addresses. It explains the historical context of IPv4's creation, where engineers initially believed 4 billion addresses would suffice, but later realized the need for a more scalable solution. NAT allows for the translation between private and public IP addresses, enabling multiple devices within a local network to share a single public IP address for internet access. This system is contrasted with the future potential of IPv6, which promises an almost inexhaustible number of unique public IP addresses for every device on the planet.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Network Address Translation (NAT)
💡IP Version 4 (IPv4)
💡Public IP Addresses
💡Private IP Addresses
💡Router
💡Internet Service Provider (ISP)
💡IP Address Shortage
💡IP Version 6 (IPv6)
💡IP Address Translation
💡Undecillion
💡Internet Growth
Highlights
NAT stands for Network Address Translation, a service used in routers.
NAT's purpose is to translate a set of IP addresses to another set.
NAT helps preserve the limited amount of IP version 4 public IP addresses.
IP version 4 was created without anticipating the scale of the internet.
There were over 4 billion IP version 4 addresses available, initially thought to be sufficient.
Engineers developed private IP addresses and NAT to prevent a shortage of public IP addresses.
Public IP addresses are registered on the Internet and required for internet access.
Private IP addresses are not publicly registered and cannot directly access the internet.
Private IP addresses are used internally, such as in homes or businesses.
Routers assign internal devices private IP addresses.
Multiple devices in a home or business require access to the internet.
Acquiring additional public IP addresses for all devices is expensive and unnecessary.
NAT allows routers to assign private IP addresses and translate them to a single public IP address.
NAT translates both private to public and public to private IP addresses.
IP version 6 will eliminate the need for NAT and private IP addresses.
IP version 6 can produce over 340 undecillion IP addresses, ensuring no shortage.
Transcripts
NAT stands for network address translation and this is a service that is used in routers and
Its purpose is to translate a set of IP addresses to another set of IP
addresses and the reason for having the NAT service is to help preserve the
Limited amount of IP version 4 public IP addresses that we have available around the world
When the IP version 4 address was created engineers didn't realize how big the internet will become
Because even though there were over 4 billion IP version 4 addresses available
The engineers thought that that would be enough, but obviously they were wrong
so in order to prevent a shortage of public IP version 4 addresses
engineers developed private IP addresses and
network address translation
Now there are two different types of IP version 4 addresses there's public and there is private
Public IP addresses are publicly registered on the Internet
You have to have a public IP address if you want to go on the internet and there are
approximately 4 billion public IP addresses available
So they are limited
Now private IP addresses are different
Private IP addresses are not publicly registered. So you cannot directly access the internet with a private IP
Private IP addresses are only used internally such as inside a home or business
they are not used out on the public Internet and your router is what assigns your internal devices a
private IP
so for example
Most homes and businesses are not going to have just one device that needs internet access
Chances are that they are going to have multiple devices that need access to the Internet
So those devices need a public IP address if they want to access the Internet now
You could contact your internet service provider and ask them for these additional public IP addresses for all of your devices
But that's going to be more expensive
unnecessary and more importantly
It would also be a waste of public IP addresses and let's face it
if every device in the world had their own public IP address
We would have ran out of public IP addresses already
So instead we can have our router assigned the devices inside our home or business
Private IP addresses and when our devices need to access the Internet
Their private IP address will be translated by NAT in the router
To the one public IP address that we have been given. So again, this is what NAT does it
Translates a set of IP addresses to another set of IP addresses
So not only does it translate private to public but also translates public to private
Because if a computer out on the internet wants to communicate with a computer on this private network
Then the public IP address needs to be translated by NAT to the private IP address for that computer
now in the future
We won't need NAT or private IP addresses and this is because of the new generation of an IP address
Called IP version 6 with IP version 6 every single device in the world
Will have its own public IP address
So there is no need for IP address translation and this is because IP version 6 is able to produce over
340 undecillion
IP addresses, so that's the number
340 with 36 digits after it. So with a number that huge we will never run out of IP addresses
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