NAT stands for Network Address Translation. It is an aws service that enables to connect an EC2 instance in private subnet to the internet or other AWS services.
For an AWS interview question about NAT Gateways, the correct answer would be:
NAT Gateways, or Network Address Translation Gateways, are managed network devices provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allow instances within a private subnet to initiate outbound traffic to the internet, while preventing inbound traffic from reaching those instances directly. NAT Gateways act as a bridge between the private subnet and the internet, translating private IP addresses of instances into public IP addresses, thus allowing them to communicate with external resources. This helps enhance security by hiding the private instances from the public internet while still enabling them to access necessary updates, patches, or external services. NAT Gateways are highly available and scalable, making them a reliable solution for outbound internet connectivity in AWS environments.