Border Gateway Protocol, explained
BGP is the routing protocol used to exchange reachability information between networks.
- The field
- Technical
- Reading time
- 1 minute
- In this entry
- Meaning · relevance · limits
The meaning
BGP is the routing protocol used to exchange reachability information between networks.
Why it matters
It helps determine how internet traffic reaches an address. Route selection can affect latency, resilience and connectivity.
The boundary
It is distinct from an application-level load balancer and does not assure that a destination application is healthy.
A routing session is an additional operational role
A network with its own address space and routing arrangement can exchange reachability information with peers using BGP. Operating that arrangement requires prefix authorisation, policies and failure handling. A VPS customer receiving one provider-assigned address should not assume that an ASN, BGP session or portable prefix is included.
- Confirm any BGP or bring-your-own-IP service through an explicit contract and compatibility review.
- Use prefix filters and the relevant routing-security controls for an actual deployment.