forwarding
Forwarding is the process of passing data packets from one network device to another based on their destination addresses.
Forwarding passes individual data packets from an ingress interface to an egress interface on network devices like routers and switches, based on destination addresses in packet headers.
Devices perform destination lookups using routing tables or forwarding information bases (FIBs) to determine the appropriate path, enabling connectivity across local and wide-area networks.
Forwarding operates at both Layer 2 (MAC-based switching) and Layer 3 (IP-based routing), ensuring efficient packet delivery while balancing performance and scalability through hardware acceleration and optimized lookup algorithms.