ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

NAT hole punching

When you use the internet to play games or talk to friends, your computer or device needs to talk to other computers. But sometimes there is a problem. It's called a NAT, which stands for Network Address Translation. It's like a bouncer at a club who only lets in certain people. So your computer is like the person who wants to get in, and the other computer is like the person who is already inside the club.

Sometimes the bouncer doesn't let your computer talk directly to the other computer. This is called a NAT "hole". So how do you talk to the other computer? That's where "hole punching" comes in. It's like a secret handshake between your computer and the other computer that helps get past the bouncer and talk to each other directly.

So instead of going through the bouncer every time you want to talk to the other computer, you can use "hole punching" to create a direct connection between your computer and the other computer. It's like making friends with the bouncer so he doesn't stop you every time you want to talk to your friend inside. This makes it easier and faster to play games or talk to your friends online.