Hop

How it is used

Used when reading traceroute output and configuring routing: hop count, next hop, 'the third hop is slow'. Each hop reduces the packet's TTL (time to live) by one, and the packet is discarded when it reaches zero, which stops packets from looping forever.

Example sentences

1. Latency jumps at the fifth hop, which is inside the ISP's network.

2. Set the next hop for this static route to 10.0.0.1.

Common collocations

• next hop
• hop count
• first hop
• multi-hop

Related terms

• tracerouteA diagnostic tool that lists every router a packet passes through on its way to a destination, with the delay to each one, so you can see where traffic slows down or stops.
• routerA device that connects different networks and decides, packet by packet, the best path for data to reach its destination, usually based on IP addresses.
• routingThe process of choosing the path that traffic takes from one network to another, carried out by routers using routes that are either entered by hand or learned from other routers.
• static routeA route that an engineer enters into a router by hand, telling it exactly where to send traffic for a particular network, instead of letting a routing protocol learn it.
• ICMPShort for Internet Control Message Protocol: a protocol that network devices use to send error and status messages, such as 'destination unreachable'; ping and traceroute rely on it.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• hop · Networking & Telecommunications

More terms: APIs, Networking and Security

• API
• endpoint
• REST
• JSON
• status code
• payload
• authentication
• third-party
• SDK
• breaking change
• request
• response