BGP Looking Glass & Route Collector Explorer
Query global BGP route collector networks (RIPE RIS, RouteViews) in real-time. Inspect AS-PATH propagation, BGP community flags, peering visibility, and global network convergence.
Understanding Border Gateway Protocol (RFC 4271)
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the core routing protocol of the internet, enabling Autonomous Systems (ASNs) to exchange network reachability information across inter-domain routes as specified in RFC 4271.
Key BGP Attributes & Path Selection Parameters
- AS-PATH: The sequence of Autonomous System numbers a route advertisement traverses. Shorter AS-PATHs are preferred by default.
- ORIGIN: Indicates how BGP learned of the route (IGP, EGP, or Incomplete).
- NEXT_HOP: The IP address of the next router along the path to the destination prefix.
- BGP Communities (RFC 1997): 32-bit numerical tags attached to route announcements for traffic engineering, blackholing, or path prepending.