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Asked by: Hasana Sanchez Pardo
technology and computing computer networkingWhat is the point of port forwarding?
Similarly, you may ask, what does port forwarding actually do?
Port forwarding on your router allows you toentera port number (or possibly a range or combination ofnumbers,depending on the router), and an IP address. Allincomingconnections with a matching port number willbeforwarded to the internal computer withthataddress.
Just so, what does enable port forwarding mean?
Port forwarding is the process of redirectingthecommunication addressed to one IP address/portcombinationto another address/port combination. But whydo weneed port forwarding? Port forwardingenables you tomake a device connected to your private networkavailable to accessfrom the internet.
Port forwarding will not helplatency(lag). Home routers use NAT (Network Address Translation)whichallows data from outside your network to find thecorrectdevices/hosts inside your network. This is required becausetheaddresses you use in your home network do not exist tothepublic Internet.