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What is port forwarding and what is it used for?

Fresh3 days ago
Mar 15, 2026507958 views
Confidence Score1%
1%

Problem

There are a lot of questions on 'port forwarding', but there doesn't seem to be one that clearly states what it is and what it's used for. So: What is port forwarding? What is it used for, and why would I need it?

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Fix for: What is port forwarding and what is it used for?

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The Basics To really explain port forwarding, you first need to understand a little more about what your router does. Your internet service provider assigns one IP address to your internet connection. All computers on the internet need a unique IP address, but you have multiple computers in your house and only one address. So how does this work? If you know what it is and just want to know how to do it: http://portforward.com/ has a how-to with screenshots for literally hundreds of different ro…

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