Routing & Path
Route Stability Test: Detect BGP Route Changes and Flapping
Network routing is not always stable. BGP route flapping occurs when the path packets take to a destination changes repeatedly, causing latency spikes and connection drops. Our route stability test monitors the path to a target over time and alerts you to any route changes.
Launch in Mission ControlWhat It Measures
This test tracks the network path to a destination over a sustained period, detecting changes in routing hops, sudden latency increases, and route flapping events. It reports how many times the route changed during the test and the latency impact of each change.
How It Works
- Establishes a baseline route using traceroute at the start
- Continuously probes the path every 30 seconds for the duration
- Compares each probe's hop sequence to the baseline
- Flags and timestamps any hop changes or route variations detected
Why It Matters
Route flapping can cause mysterious intermittent outages and latency spikes that are impossible to diagnose with a single traceroute snapshot. A stable route maintains consistent performance, while unstable routing results in unpredictable connection quality throughout the day.
Understanding Your Results
A stable connection should show zero route changes during a 10-minute test. Occasional route changes (once or twice per hour) may be acceptable. Frequent changes (multiple per minute) indicate BGP instability that will cause persistent performance problems and should be reported to your ISP.
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Run Route Stability Test Now →Frequently Asked Questions
What is BGP route flapping?
BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) is the routing protocol that determines how traffic flows between ISPs and networks on the internet. Route flapping occurs when a BGP route is repeatedly withdrawn and re-announced, causing packets to take constantly changing paths and resulting in intermittent outages.
How does route instability affect my connection?
Route flapping causes connection drops, latency spikes, and TCP session resets as packets temporarily cannot find a valid path. Users experience this as random disconnections, website timeouts, and gaming disconnects that seem to resolve on their own within seconds.
Can I fix route instability myself?
Route instability is almost always an ISP or upstream provider issue, not something you can fix locally. Document the route changes with timestamps and report them to your ISP's network operations center (NOC). If your ISP's upstream provider is flapping, your ISP needs to address it with their transit provider.
Is route instability the same as packet loss?
They are related but distinct. Route instability causes temporary packet loss during route transitions. However, persistent packet loss on a stable route indicates a different problem such as congestion, a faulty link, or a misconfigured router. Running both tests together provides the full picture.
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