Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are critical contracts in the world of networking, particularly in peering and transit arrangements. These agreements establish the performance expectations, responsibilities, and remedies between parties involved in the exchange of internet traffic. For networks, content providers, and enterprises, SLAs provide a framework to ensure reliability, define accountability, and protect business interests.…

Latency in DNS resolution can have a profound impact on user experience, particularly in scenarios where fast and reliable access to online resources is critical. DNS, as the foundational system for translating human-readable domain names into machine-readable IP addresses, is the first step in nearly every internet interaction. Latency in this process can introduce noticeable…

The rapid expansion of cloud computing has transformed the global networking landscape, with major cloud providers offering services that underpin a significant portion of the internet’s infrastructure. Providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Microsoft Azure, and others rely on extensive interconnection strategies to deliver their services reliably and efficiently. At the…

The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) serves as the backbone of internet routing, dynamically exchanging information about network reachability among autonomous systems (ASes). Each BGP update provides a snapshot of routing changes, reflecting how networks adapt to shifts in topology, policy, or connectivity. By analyzing these updates, network operators and researchers can uncover patterns and anomalies…

The DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) were introduced to address fundamental vulnerabilities in the Domain Name System (DNS), ensuring the authenticity and integrity of DNS responses. At the heart of DNSSEC lies the chain of trust, a hierarchical framework that uses cryptographic signatures to verify the legitimacy of DNS records. While DNSSEC is primarily a mechanism…

Emergency routing changes during outages are a critical aspect of network operations, enabling organizations to maintain connectivity, minimize disruptions, and safeguard critical services. Outages, whether caused by hardware failures, fiber cuts, DDoS attacks, or natural disasters, can have far-reaching impacts on routing and traffic flows. In such situations, network operators must act quickly and decisively,…

For domain operators, managing routing costs is a crucial aspect of maintaining profitability and ensuring efficient service delivery. The internet’s decentralized architecture relies on routing decisions made through protocols like BGP, which dictate how traffic flows between networks. These decisions have direct financial implications, as they influence the use of transit providers, peering agreements, and…

DNS query path visualizations offer a powerful way to understand the intricate journey that a domain name request takes from the initial query to its resolution. As a cornerstone of internet functionality, the Domain Name System (DNS) translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses, enabling seamless access to websites, applications, and online services. While this…

BGP communities are a versatile and powerful feature of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) that enable network operators to apply granular control over routing decisions, making them an essential tool for traffic engineering. By attaching metadata to route advertisements, BGP communities allow operators to influence how their prefixes are handled by peers, upstream providers, and…

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) leaks are among the most disruptive events in the world of internet routing. These incidents occur when a network improperly announces routes to prefixes it does not own or when routing policies are misconfigured, leading to the propagation of unintended or unauthorized routes across the internet. BGP leaks can cause widespread…