STUN

Technology & Computing abbreviation · Networking

STUN
Stands forSession Traversal Utilities for NAT
CategoriesTechnology & Computing

STUN stands for Session Traversal Utilities for NAT, a networking abbreviation.

A protocol that lets a device behind NAT discover its public IP address and port by asking a server on the internet, so video calls and peer-to-peer apps can attempt direct connections. WebRTC applications use STUN servers routinely.

Example: The WebRTC config lists a public STUN server and a TURN relay as fallback.

Usage notes

Originally "Simple Traversal of UDP through NATs" in RFC 3489 (2003), renamed in the 2008 revision, RFC 5389. When direct connections fail, applications fall back to TURN, which relays traffic through a server. The ICE framework tries STUN, TURN and local candidates to find the best path.

More networking abbreviations

  • SOA – Start of authority (record)
  • SPF – Shortest path first
  • SRV – Service (record)
  • SSH – Secure Shell
  • SSID – Service set identifier
  • STP – Shielded twisted pair
  • TCP – Transmission Control Protocol
  • TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
  • TFTP – Trivial File Transfer Protocol
  • TTL – Time to live
  • UDP – User Datagram Protocol
  • UPnP – Universal Plug and Play

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