Forwarding Table

Built by Routing process. Router.

The forwarding table (also known as a Forwarding Information Base (FIB)) is derived from the routing table and is used for the actual process of forwarding packets.

Once the routing table is updated, the router generates the forwarding table. The forwarding table contains a simplified version of the routing table, focusing only on the next-hop decision needed to forward a packet based on its destination IP.

The forwarding table allows the router to make quick decisions about where to send packets. When a packet arrives, the router looks at the destination IP address and consults the forwarding table to determine which interface to forward the packet to.