What is the primary function of Network Address Translation (NAT)?

The primary function of Network Address Translation (NAT) is to translate private IP addresses to a public IP address. This process is crucial for allowing devices on a private network to communicate with the internet while preserving the privacy and security of the internal network. NAT enables multiple devices to share a single public IP address, which is especially important given the limited number of available public IPs. It essentially modifies the packet headers as they pass through a router, replacing the source private IP address with the public IP address assigned to the NAT device.

By performing this translation, NAT not only facilitates internet connectivity for a network but also helps to maintain the anonymity of internal devices. This is an essential aspect of network security, as it makes it harder for external entities to directly access devices on the private network.

In contrast, while hiding internal IP addresses from external networks is a related benefit of NAT, it is not the primary function. Additionally, NAT does not assign new IP addresses to devices, as that is the role of DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). Lastly, routing traffic based on domain names pertains to DNS (Domain Name System), which is distinct from NAT's function of translating IP addresses.