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Home / Glossary / BGP
Glossary · Protocol

BGP

Border Gateway Protocol

In plain language

The system internet providers use to tell each other which routes lead to which networks.

The metaphor

Like airlines swapping route maps so a traveller can connect through whichever hubs reach the destination.

Going deeper

How it works

  • Providers announce which addresses they can reach.
  • Other providers use the announcements to pick routes.
  • A mistake or a hijack can send traffic the wrong way.
  • Small businesses never set it up.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A provider's configuration mistake sent traffic for a region to a dead end. Offices there lost access to some sites for several hours.

In practice
  • A provider outage cuts off a region.
  • A large site becomes unreachable for an hour.
  • A security alert warns of a hijacked route.

A question owners ask

Why do I hear about it in outages?

When it goes wrong, entire networks disappear from the internet. Your provider is the one fixing it.

Related terms
AHAuthentication HeaderARPAddress Resolution ProtocolCCMPCounter Mode/CBC-MAC ProtocolCHAPChallenge Handshake Authentication ProtocolCRCCyclical Redundancy CheckEAPExtensible Authentication ProtocolESPEncapsulated Security PayloadFTPFile Transfer Protocol

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