> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests.md). # BGP Monitoring Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) controls how autonomous systems (ASes) exchange routing information across the internet. ThousandEyes BGP monitoring analyzes BGP route advertisements to show how prefixes are announced, how traffic is expected to reach them, and how routing changes over time. Unlike network tests that send traffic, BGP monitoring provides visibility into routing information rather than packet delivery or application availability. You can configure BGP monitoring in the following ways: * Create a standalone BGP test for a prefix. * Enable BGP data collection on supported test types. * Monitor the prefixes associated with an AS. ## BGP Monitoring Workflow Use these articles to follow a typical BGP monitoring workflow. ### Start Monitoring * [Monitoring Multiple Prefixes for an Autonomous System (AS)](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests/monitor-multiple-prefixes) — Discover and monitor prefixes associated with an AS. * [Monitoring a Single Prefix](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests/monitoring-a-single-prefix) — Create a standalone BGP test for a specific prefix. * [Working with Test Settings](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/working-with-test-settings) — Collect BGP data with another supported test type. * [Private BGP Monitoring](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests/private-bgp-monitoring#configuring-a-private-bgp-monitor) — Add routing perspectives from your network. * [Configuring BGP Alerts](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests/bgp-alerts) — Define alert conditions for routing events. ### Analyze and Troubleshoot Routing * [Visualizing BGP Routes](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests/using-the-bgp-route-visualization-view) — Investigate AS paths and routing events over time. * [Using the BGP Updates Table](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests/using-the-bgp-updates-table) — Inspect individual announcements and withdrawals. * [Using the AS Details Screen](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests/using-the-as-details-screen) — Review announcement trends and monitoring coverage for an AS. * [Monitoring RPKI Status](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests/rpki) — Understand route origin validation. * [Troubleshooting Private BGP Monitoring Sessions](https://docs.thousandeyes.com/product-documentation/tests/bgp-tests/troubleshooting-private-bgp-monitoring-sessions) — Resolve private-monitor connection problems. ## Use Cases BGP monitoring helps you: * Confirm that your prefixes are reachable from multiple networks and geographic locations. * Detect route leaks, route hijacks, unexpected origin ASes, route flapping, and path changes. * Validate that distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) mitigation changes are visible from BGP vantage points. * Monitor the presence and activity of upstream network providers. * Check the RPKI validity of route announcements. * Compare internet-wide routing visibility with the view from your own network. ## How BGP Monitoring Works 1. **You identify the prefixes to monitor.** You can monitor prefixes by creating a standalone BGP test, enabling BGP data collection on supported tests, or monitoring the prefixes associated with an AS. 2. **BGP monitors collect route advertisements.** Public BGP monitors provide internet-wide perspectives. ThousandEyes BGP monitors add supported collection points, and private BGP monitors provide visibility from networks that you connect to the ThousandEyes platform. 3. **ThousandEyes analyzes routing information.** ThousandEyes tracks route reachability, AS paths, announcements, withdrawals, path changes, and RPKI status. 4. **You investigate routing activity or receive alerts.** Use route visualizations, update tables, AS details, and alerts to understand routing behavior, identify routing anomalies, and monitor the prefixes that matter to your organization. ### Interpreting BGP Monitoring Data Keep the following characteristics in mind when interpreting BGP monitoring data: * BGP reachability means that a monitor has an active route to a prefix. It does not verify packet delivery or application availability. * Standalone BGP tests collect routing data continuously. Data for the target prefix is typically available within five minutes after you create a test. * IPv4 tests use IPv4 monitors, and IPv6 tests use IPv6 monitors. * Supported tests that run from Cloud Agents or Enterprise Agents and include network measurements can display BGP data in the BGP route visualization. BGP data collection is enabled by default for supported test types. * ThousandEyes collects RPKI data automatically with BGP monitoring. You can configure a separate RPKI alert rule to receive alerts when route validity changes. * Alerts apply only to prefixes that your account monitors. ## Autonomous System (AS) Data Sources An autonomous system (AS) is an interconnected network or collection of IP networks and routers managed by a single organization. Autonomous systems are essential for the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) because they enable the construction of the internet routing tables. To enhance the accuracy and richness of AS data, ThousandEyes sources names and related metadata from datasets maintained by internet registries and other publicly available resources. ThousandEyes shows autonomous system numbers in **BGP Route Visualization**, the **BGP Updates** table, and other BGP and path views. BGP reachability data (updates, paths, and timelines) comes from the public BGP monitors, private BGP monitors, and ThousandEyes BGP monitors described earlier on this page. Datasets used to enrich AS information include: * [**BGP.Tools**](https://bgp.tools/) * [**APNIC Pty Ltd**](https://www.apnic.net/): (C) APNIC Pty/Ltd. * [**Center for Applied Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA)**](https://www.caida.org/): The CAIDA AS Relationships Dataset, April 30, 2026 to present. . * **RIPE NCC** The [RIPE Routing Information Service (RIS)](https://www.ripe.net/analyse/internet-measurements/routing-information-service-ris/) is a RIPE NCC service. With the help of network operators all over the world, RIS employs a globally distributed set of Remote Route Collectors (RRCs), typically located at internet exchange points, to collect and store internet routing data. Volunteers peer with the RRCs using the BGP protocol, and RIS stores the update and withdrawal messages. RIS data can be accessed via: * **RIPEstat**: A single interface for querying information about internet number resources. RIPEstat uses individual widgets to display routing and other information. * **RIS Live**: A real-time BGP streaming API that allows server-side filtering of BGP messages by prefix or autonomous system. * **RIS Raw Data**: Available for each route collector, with state dumps and batches of updates made available periodically. * **RISwhois**: Searches the latest RIS data for details of an IP address using a plaintext whois-style interface. It is useful when querying RIS data using scripts. For more information, see the [RIPE NCC website](https://www.ripe.net/). ![RIPE NCC logo](https://1112912342-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-M4QARF6s57qxMrOHDTZ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-3ca87d179f976887cbb65c9f614c0f85f729eba3%2Fripe-ncc-logo-2015.png?alt=media) This approach enables ThousandEyes to maintain comprehensive and up-to-date ASN provider information to support BGP-related insights and monitoring.