Concepts / Dynamic routing

Dynamic routing

AS path

Also called prepending, as-path prepend

The list of autonomous systems a BGP route crossed: used to choose paths and to prevent loops.

A router ignores routes whose path already holds its own AS number. Shorter paths win, so an AS can make one entrance less attractive by prepending its own number several times on what it announces there. Each AS chooses its own way out, so traffic there and back often cross different ASes.

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