IP Anycast

Definition

• IP Anycast is a network addressing and routing methodology in which a single IP address is

assigned to multiple nodes (servers or devices) across different geographic or logical
locations, and packets destined for that IP address are routed to the nearest or most optimal
node based on the routing protocol’s metric (e.g., shortest path or lowest cost), enhancing
efficiency, redundancy, and load balancing.

Core Concept

• Unlike unicast (one-to-one) or multicast (one-to-many), anycast is a one-to-nearest

communication model where the same IP address represents multiple instances of a service,
and the network’s routing infrastructure automatically directs traffic to the closest or best-
performing instance without requiring client-side changes. It leverages existing routing
protocols like BGP, OSPF, or RIP to determine the "best" destination.

Key Characteristics

• Single IP, Multiple Nodes: A single anycast IP address is advertised by multiple servers, each
capable of providing the same service (e.g., DNS resolution, content delivery).

• Routing-Driven: The choice of destination is determined by the routing protocol’s path

selection (e.g., shortest AS path in BGP or lowest cost in OSPF), not by the sender explicitly
specifying a node.

• Transparency: Clients send requests to the anycast IP unaware of which specific node
responds, simplifying application design.

• Scalability and Redundancy: Distributes load and provides failover; if one node fails, traffic
reroutes to another without manual intervention.

How IP Anycast Works

• Step 1: IP Address Assignment:

o A single IP address (e.g., 8.8.8.8 for Google DNS) is assigned to multiple servers in
different locations, each configured to handle requests identically.

o Example: Servers in New York, London, and Tokyo all use 8.8.8.8.

• Step 2: Route Advertisement:

o Each server (or its associated router) advertises the anycast IP address to the
network using a routing protocol, typically BGP for internet-scale anycast or an IGP
(e.g., OSPF) within a single domain.

o Example: New York router advertises 8.8.8.8 via BGP to AS 15169 (Google).

• Step 3: Routing Decision:

o Routers in the network use their standard path-selection algorithms to determine

the "best" route to the anycast IP, usually the nearest node based on routing metrics
(e.g., AS path length, hop count, or link cost).
o Example: A client in Paris routes to London (fewer AS hops) rather than New York.

• Step 4: Packet Delivery:

o Packets are forwarded to the chosen node, which processes the request as if it were
the sole destination; the client receives a response from that node.

o Example: DNS query to 8.8.8.8 from Paris resolves via London server.

• Step 5: Failover and Load Balancing:

o If a node fails or becomes unreachable, its route advertisement is withdrawn, and

routers automatically shift traffic to the next nearest node; this also balances load
across nodes organically.

o Example: London server fails; BGP withdraws its route, traffic shifts to New York.

Routing Protocols Used in Anycast

• BGP (Border Gateway Protocol):

o Most common for internet-wide anycast; each node advertises the same prefix (e.g.,
8.8.8.0/24), and BGP’s best-path algorithm (e.g., shortest AS_PATH) selects the
nearest node.

o Example: Google’s 8.8.8.8 is advertised globally, with clients routed to the closest
data center.

• IGP (e.g., OSPF, RIP):

o Used within a single AS or network; nodes advertise the anycast IP, and the IGP’s
metric (e.g., cost or hop count) determines the best route.

o Example: An enterprise uses OSPF to route to an anycast IP within its data centers.

• Static Routes: Rarely used, for small-scale anycast with manual path control.

Technical Details

• Address Type: Anycast uses standard unicast IP addresses (IPv4 or IPv6); no special address
range is reserved, unlike multicast (224.0.0.0/4).

• Prefix Advertisement: All nodes advertise the same IP prefix (e.g., 8.8.8.0/24), and routing
protocols treat each advertisement as a separate path to the same destination.

• Statefulness Limitation: Anycast is best for stateless protocols (e.g., DNS, HTTP) since
packets may route to different nodes mid-session if routing changes, breaking stateful
connections like TCP unless mitigated.

Example Scenario

• Setup: DNS service at 8.8.8.8 with servers in:

o New York (AS 15169, cost to client in Boston: 1 hop).

o London (AS 15169 via AS 3356, cost to client in Paris: 2 hops).

• Process:
o Client in Boston queries 8.8.8.8; BGP routes to New York (shortest path).

o Client in Paris queries 8.8.8.8; BGP routes to London (fewer AS hops).

o New York server fails; BGP withdraws its route, Boston traffic shifts to another node
(e.g., Chicago).

Diagram Descriptions

• Diagram 1: Anycast Topology:

o Three servers (New York, London, Tokyo) labeled with 8.8.8.8.

o Routers between them advertising 8.8.8.0/24 via BGP.

o Clients in Boston, Paris, Sydney with arrows to nearest server (e.g., Boston → New
York).

• Diagram 2: Route Advertisement:

o Timeline: New York → BGP AS 15169 (8.8.8.0/24), London → BGP AS 15169, etc.

o Paths converging to client routers choosing the best route.

• Diagram 3: Failover:

o New York crossed out (route withdrawn), arrows shifting from Boston to Chicago
server.

Applications of IP Anycast

• DNS Services:

o Public DNS (e.g., Google 8.8.8.8, Cloudflare 1.1.1.1) uses anycast to route queries to
the nearest resolver, reducing latency and improving reliability.

• Content Delivery Networks (CDNs):

o CDNs like Akamai or Cloudflare use anycast to deliver web content from the closest
edge server, optimizing load time and bandwidth.

• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Mitigation:

o Traffic is spread across multiple anycast nodes, diluting attack impact (e.g.,
Cloudflare’s DDoS protection).

• Load Balancing:

o Distributes client requests across servers without complex load balancers (e.g., NTP
servers).

Advantages of IP Anycast

• Low Latency: Routes traffic to the nearest node, minimizing round-trip time (RTT) for clients.

• High Availability: Automatic failover to other nodes if one fails, enhancing redundancy
without client reconfiguration.
• Load Distribution: Naturally balances traffic across nodes based on routing proximity,
reducing server overload.

• Scalability: Adding new nodes is as simple as advertising the same IP from a new location.

• Simplified Client Access: Clients use a single IP regardless of server location, easing
configuration.

Disadvantages of IP Anycast

• Stateful Connection Issues: Mid-session routing changes (e.g., due to BGP reconvergence)
can break TCP sessions unless mitigated (e.g., by sticky routing or short-lived connections).

• Routing Dependency: Relies on routing protocol accuracy; misconfigurations or suboptimal

paths can send traffic to distant nodes.

• Limited Control: Administrators cannot directly choose which node serves a client; routing
protocols dictate the decision.

• Convergence Delay: BGP route changes (e.g., after a failure) may take seconds to minutes,
causing temporary disruptions.

• Troubleshooting Complexity: Debugging is harder since the same IP maps to multiple nodes.

Mitigations for Challenges

• Short TTLs: Use low Time-to-Live values in DNS or application responses to limit session
duration, reducing state issues.

• Consistent Hashing: CDNs use techniques to ensure requests from the same client hit the
same node despite anycast.

• Route Tuning: Adjust BGP attributes (e.g., LOCAL_PREF, MED) to influence path selection and
avoid suboptimal routing.

Comparison with Other Methods

• Anycast vs. Unicast:

o Anycast: One IP, multiple nodes, nearest routing; Unicast: One IP, one node, specific
routing.

• Anycast vs. Multicast:

o Anycast: One-to-nearest; Multicast: One-to-many, all nodes receive simultaneously.

• Anycast vs. Load Balancing:

o Anycast: Network-layer, routing-based; Load Balancer: Application-layer, explicit

server selection.

Relation to Routing Protocols

• BGP: Dominant for internet anycast; advertises the same prefix from multiple AS locations,
using AS_PATH and policy to determine the best route.

• OSPF/RIP: Used in intra-domain anycast; advertises the anycast IP with cost or hop count
determining proximity.
• Packet Forwarding: Ties to your earlier request—anycast enhances forwarding by
dynamically selecting the nearest destination based on routing tables.

Additional Notes

• IPv6 Support: Anycast works identically in IPv6 (e.g., 2001:4860:4860::8888 for Google DNS).

• Anycast Address: Not a reserved range; any unicast IP can be used, defined by advertisement
behavior.

• Real-World Example: Root DNS servers (e.g., F-root at 192.5.5.241) use anycast for global
reachability.