Network address translation (NAT) rewrites IP addresses as packets pass through a router or firewall. Its main job is letting hosts with private RFC 1918 addresses reach the internet using public addresses, which conserves scarce IPv4 space and hides internal addressing. The router keeps a translation table so return traffic is mapped back to the right inside host. NAT is configured on the device at the boundary between the inside (private) and outside (public) networks, usually the edge router or firewall.
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