Peering
Also known as: BGP peering, settlement-free peering
A voluntary interconnection where two networks exchange traffic between their own customers directly, usually without payment.
Peering is when two networks agree to exchange traffic destined for each other's customers, commonly settlement-free (neither pays the other). It contrasts with transit, where one network pays another to reach the rest of the internet.
Peering happens over private cross-connects or across an IXP's shared fabric. The customer-peer-provider distinction shapes BGP route selection and is what ASPA and route-leak detection reason about.
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