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IP Routing: How Routers Forward Packets

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IP routing: every router decides independently

When you visit a website, your packet traverses 10-20 routers between you and the server. Each router independently decides where to send the packet next by looking up the destination IP in its routing table.

There's no central path coordinator. Each router only knows: 'for destination X, send to next-hop Y.' This decentralized design is what makes the internet resilient.

Packets in motion — click to inspect:

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