What is Forwarding in Computer Networking?

In computer networking, forwarding refers to the process of sending network traffic from one network to another. This can be done at various layers of the OSI model, but most commonly it refers to IP forwarding, where packets are sent from one IP network to another.

When a packet is forwarded, it is sent from one device (usually a router) to another device that is closer to its final destination. The forwarding decision is typically made based on the packet's destination IP address and other routing information.

For example, when you send an email to someone else's email address, the email server that receives the email will forward it to the recipient's email server, which will then deliver it to the recipient's inbox. Similarly, when you visit a website, your computer sends a request to the website's server, and the request is forwarded through multiple routers until it reaches the website's server.

In summary, forwarding is the process of sending network traffic from one network to another, and it is an essential function of modern computer networks that allow us to communicate and access resources on the internet.