ACLs (Access Control Lists) are used to control network traffic through routers by permitting or denying traffic based on conditions like source/destination IP addresses. There are two types: standard ACLs filter based on source IP and are configured on destination routers, while extended ACLs filter on source/destination IP and can block specific protocols. NAT (Network Address Translation) converts private IP addresses to public IP addresses to avoid IP address depletion and implement network security through configurations like static, dynamic, or port address translation which maps private ports to a public IP address.