What is the purpose of NAT64?

The purpose of NAT64 is to facilitate communication between devices that use IPv6 addresses and those that use IPv4 addresses. It accomplishes this by converting IPv6 packets into IPv4 packets, effectively acting as a translator between the two protocols. This is crucial in environments where a seamless exchange of information is necessary despite the presence of both IPv4 and IPv6 networks, especially as IPv6 adoption continues to grow while many legacy systems still operate on IPv4.

By translating IPv6 to IPv4, NAT64 allows IPv6-only clients to access IPv4-only servers, thereby ensuring interoperability and extended reach of resources across different IP versions. This function is particularly important in transitional scenarios where networks are moving from IPv4 to IPv6, enabling continued access to services that have not yet migrated to the newer protocol.