Networking•7 min read•intermediate

NAT and DHCP: Local Address Allocation

Understand how DHCP assigns IP addresses dynamically and how NAT translates private IPs into one public IP address.

DHCP: Automating local IPs

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automatically assigns IP addresses, gateway pathways, subnet masks, and DNS resolvers to local devices. When a phone joins a Wi-Fi network, it broadcasts a DHCP Discover packet, receives an offer from the router, and leases an IP address.

Network Address Translation (NAT) allows routers to map local private IP ranges (e.g. 192.168.x.x) to a single public IP. When a device requests a webpage, the router translates the private source IP in the packet header to the router's public IP, tracking the connection state in a port-mapping table.

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