Longest Prefix Match Algorithm Visualization

Forwarding Table

Prefix Prefix Length Next Hop Interface
192.168.1.0/24 24 Router B Interface 1
192.168.0.0/16 16 Router C Interface 2
172.16.0.0/16 16 Router D Interface 3
10.0.0.0/8 8 Router E Interface 4
0.0.0.0/0 0 Default Gateway Interface 5

Algorithm Explanation

Router
Packet
Entry being checked
Matching entry
Matching bits
Non-matching bits