What system do NAT Gateways provide for endpoints without public IP addresses?

NAT (Network Address Translation) Gateways serve an essential role in providing internet connectivity to resources that do not have their own public IP addresses. They allow private instances within a private network to access the internet while preventing external entities from directly accessing those instances. This mechanism effectively enables "internet access without exposure."

Through this process, the NAT Gateway translates the private IP addresses of instances into a single public IP address that is used when communicating with external networks. Although the internal instances can initiate outbound connections, the NAT Gateway restricts incoming connections from the public internet, thereby maintaining security and isolation for the private network.

This functionality is critical in cloud environments and other network configurations where many devices need to access the internet simultaneously without sacrificing security by exposing their internal addresses. It is particularly beneficial in terms of conserving public IP addresses and simplifying network management.