🎁 New User? Get 20% off your first purchase with code NEWUSER20 · ⚡ Instant download · 🔒 Secure checkout Register Now →
Menu

Categories

Networking Advanced

What is BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)?

The routing protocol that makes the internet work by exchanging routing information between autonomous systems.

BGP is the protocol that connects different networks (ISPs, cloud providers, enterprises) on the internet. Each network (Autonomous System) announces its IP prefixes to neighbors, building a global routing table. BGP chooses paths based on policies, not just shortest distance.

BGP is a path-vector protocol that prevents loops by tracking the full AS path. Misconfigurations can cause route leaks (redirecting traffic) or route hijacks (advertising someone else's IPs). BGP is critical infrastructure — incidents can affect internet connectivity globally.

Related Terms

CIDR Notation
A compact method for specifying IP addresses and their associated routing prefix using a slash followed by the prefix length.
DNS (Domain Name System)
A hierarchical naming system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses.
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
A protocol for monitoring and managing network devices like routers, switches, servers, and printers remotely.
Multicast
A network communication method that sends data to multiple recipients simultaneously without duplicating packets for each recipient.
Firewall
A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined rules.
DNS Propagation
The time it takes for DNS record changes to spread across all DNS servers worldwide, typically taking up to 48 hours.
 View All Networking Terms →