What is the role of a DHCP lease?

The role of a DHCP lease is to temporarily allocate an IP address to a device. When a device connects to a network, the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server provides an IP address from a predefined pool of addresses for a specified duration, known as the lease time. This temporary assignment allows devices to communicate over the network without the need for manual configuration of IP addresses.

Using leases enables efficient IP address management, as the server can reclaim and reassign IP addresses once the lease expires or the device disconnects from the network. This is particularly important in environments with a high number of devices that may join and leave the network frequently, as it ensures that IP addresses are not wasted and are utilized effectively.

In contrast, permanent assignments of IP addresses, static configurations, and managing network traffic are related to different networking concepts and do not align with the fundamental function of DHCP leases, which focuses specifically on the dynamic allocation of IP addresses for a limited timeframe.