What is the Difference Between Static and Dynamic Routing

The main difference between static and dynamic routing is that in static routing, the administrator manually enters the routes in the routing table, whereas in dynamic routing, the routes are found automatically according to the changes in the network.

Routing is the process of determining the best path to send the data from the source to the destination. A router helps to accomplish this task. It is a device that operates on the network layer of the OSI model and the internet layer of the TCP/IP model. The routing algorithm allows the router to select the best path between the source and the destination. Moreover, it maintains a table called routing table to maintain the path information. 

Key Areas Covered

1.  What is Static Routing
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is Dynamic Routing
      – Definition, Functionality
3. Difference Between Static and Dynamic Routing
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Dynamic Routing, Non-adaptive Routing, Router, Static Routing, Networking

Difference Between Static Routing and Dynamic Routing - Comparison Summary

What is Static Routing

Static Routing is also called non-adaptive routing. In this routing method, the network administrator includes the routes in the routing table. Therefore, the router sends the data from the source to the destination according to the route defined by the administrator. It is why routing decisions do not depend on factors such as network traffic or topology.

Difference Between Static Routing and Dynamic Routing

Moreover, static routing does not require a high bandwidth among the routers. Since the network administrator performs the required routing tasks, the network is also more secure. Furthermore, the overall cost requirement for static routing is minimum. However, static routing is not suitable for large networks with more traffic. It is due to the difficulty in adding routes to the routing tables manually. In addition, the network administrator should have a good understanding of the network to add routes to the routing table manually.

What is Dynamic Routing

Dynamic routing or adaptive routing is an automatic routing technique. In other words, routing tables change when new routers are added to the network. If a router fails, the routing table changes automatically to reach the destination. Therefore, dynamic routing reacts to the changes in the network and traffic. Here, this routing method uses dynamic routing algorithms to discover new routes in order to send data to the destination. Thus, all routers in the network should use the same dynamic routing protocols.

Dynamic routing requires less routing. Furthermore, it provides more accurate results in finding the best route according to the changes in the network. However, this routing method requires higher bandwidth and it is less secure.

Difference Between Static Routing and Dynamic Routing

Definition

Static routing is a form of routing that occurs when a router uses a manually-configured routing entry rather than information from a dynamic routing traffic. Dynamic routing, on the other hand, is a process where a router can forward data via a different route or given destination based on the current conditions of the communication circuits within a network. Thus, this is the fundamental difference between static and dynamic routing.

Synonyms

Non-adaptive routing is another name for static routing whereas adaptive routing is another name for dynamic routing.

Functionality

In static routing, the network administrator manually adds the routes in the routing table; however, in dynamic routing, the routes are found automatically according to the changes in the network. Hence, functionality is the main difference between static and dynamic routing.

Bandwidth

Moreover, static routing requires less bandwidth while dynamic routing requires more bandwidth. This is also an important difference between static and dynamic routing.

Configuration

Furthermore, the configuration is difficult in static routing while the configuration is easy in dynamic routing.

Security

Also, another difference between static and dynamic routing is the security. The static routing is more secure than dynamic routing.

Conclusion

In brief, routing is the process of sending data from the source to the destination. Here, data is sent through the most optimal path from the sending device to the receiving device. There are two types of routing: static and dynamic routing. The main difference between static and dynamic routing is that, in static routing, the administrator manually enters the routes in the routing table, while in dynamic routing, the routes are found automatically according to the changes in the network.

References:

1.“Computer Network Routing | Types of Routing – Javatpoint.” Www.javatpoint.com, Available here.
2.“Static Routing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Mar. 2019, Available here.
3.“Dynamic Routing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Mar. 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1.”30140″ (CC0) via Pixabay

About the Author: Lithmee

Lithmee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Systems Engineering and is reading for her Master’s degree in Computer Science. She is passionate about sharing her knowldge in the areas of programming, data science, and computer systems.

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