Static Routing

Last Updated: November 7, 2011

Definition - What does Static Routing mean?

Static routing is a type of network routing technique. Static routing is not a routing protocol; instead, it is the manual configuration and selection of a network route, usually managed by the network administrator. It is employed in scenarios where the network parameters and environment are expected to remain constant.

Static routing is only optimal in a few situations. Network degradation, latency and congestion are inevitable consequences of the non-flexible nature of static routing because there is no adjustment when the primary route is unavailable.

Free White Paper: "AI and ML in the Oil and Gas Industry". Take a look at 10 real-world use cases that demonstrate how AI and ML are already being used in the oil and gas industry, and how AI innovation can help renew the industry.

Techopedia explains Static Routing

Routing is one of the most essential procedures in data communication. It ensures that data travels from one network to another with optimal speed and minimal delay, and that its integrity is maintained in the process.

Broadly, routing is performed in two different ways:

Dynamic routing continuously updates its routing table with paths and their cost/metric, while making optimal routing decisions based on changing network operating environments.
Static routing performs routing decisions with preconfigured routes in the routing table, which can be changed manually only by administrators. Static routes are normally implemented in those situations where the choices in route selection are limited, or there is only a single default route available. Also, static routing can be used if you have only few devices for route configuration and there is no need for route change in the future.

Static routing is considered the simplest form of routing.