Every packet asks every router the same question: 'Where next?' The routing table provides the answer—a decision tree built from connected networks, static routes, and dynamic protocols that determines the fate of every packet in microseconds.
Static routing tells packets exactly where to go. Dynamic routing lets routers figure it out together. One is a command, the other a conversation—and most networks need both.
The Internet divides routing into two domains: inside your network (where you're king) and between networks (where you're a diplomat). This split isn't arbitrary—it's the architecture that lets 70,000+ independent organizations cooperate without surrendering control.
RIP is the oldest dynamic routing protocol, and its limitations teach us why modern routing works the way it does—every constraint reveals a problem that had to be solved.
OSPF gives every router a complete map of the network instead of directions from neighbors. This changes everything about how routes are calculated, how failures are detected, and how networks scale.
EIGRP keeps backup routes pre-validated and ready, so when a path fails, there's no recalculation—just instant failover. Here's how Cisco's hybrid protocol guarantees loop-free routing while converging faster than almost anything else.
BGP's path selection process reveals a truth about Internet routing: every network is trying to make your packets someone else's problem as quickly as possible. Understanding this changes how you see the protocol.
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