Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)

Open Shortest Path First, or OSPF, is a dynamic link-state routing protocol used to route IP traffic within an autonomous system. Routers exchange information about available network connections and use this data to build a shared view of the network topology. Using the Shortest Path First algorithm, each router calculates the most efficient path to a destination network. OSPF uses a metric known as cost, which can be determined based on factors such as link bandwidth. Larger networks can be divided into multiple areas to improve scalability, with Area 0 serving as the backbone. OSPF supports rapid adaptation to topology changes, load balancing across equal-cost paths and hierarchical network designs. It is widely used in complex enterprise, campus and service provider networks.