Routing protocol

Ok kiddo, imagine you want to go from your house to a friend's house but you don't know the way. You ask your mom and she tells you to follow the signs on the road, the same way you go to school every day. But what if there's a traffic jam or a road is closed? That's where a routing protocol comes in.

A routing protocol is like your mom, telling your computer or phone the best way to get from one place to another place on the internet. It helps your device find the best path between all the different devices that are connected to the internet. Just like you might take a different route to your friend's house if there's a roadblock, your device might choose a different route to send information depending on what's happening on the internet.

There are lots of different routing protocols, just like there are lots of different ways to get to your friend's house. Some of them are designed for small networks within a company or building, while others work across the entire internet. Some of them are really fast but don't guarantee that the information will get there, while others are slower but more reliable.

Overall, a routing protocol is just a way for devices on the internet to help each other find the best way to send information around. It's like a big game of "telephone" but for computers!