Internet Exchange Points
Search and explore IXPs worldwide via PeeringDB. Find where networks peer, lookup IXPs by name or location, and check which exchanges an ASN participates in.
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What is an Internet Exchange Point (IXP)?
An Internet Exchange Point (IXP) is a physical infrastructure through which Internet service providers (ISPs), content delivery networks (CDNs), and other network operators exchange internet traffic using Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). IXPs reduce costs by eliminating the need for traffic to traverse upstream transit providers, improve latency by keeping traffic local, and increase redundancy and resilience.
Peering vs. Transit
At an IXP, networks engage in peering — directly exchanging traffic with each other for free or low cost. This contrasts with transit, where a network pays an upstream provider to carry traffic to/from the rest of the internet. Peering at an IXP is generally preferred for high-volume bilateral traffic.
PeeringDB
PeeringDB is the authoritative registry for peering information. Networks voluntarily publish their peering policies, locations, and contact information. This tool queries PeeringDB to provide up-to-date IXP membership data for any given ASN.
- Route Server: A shared BGP router at an IXP that simplifies peering by redistributing routes between members.
- Open Peering: A network that will peer with any other network at the same IXP.
- Selective Peering: A network that peers only with specific partners based on traffic volume or geographic criteria.
- MLPA: Multilateral Peering Agreement — a framework for IXP members to peer via the route server.
Internet Exchange Points: How BGP Peering Works
Internet Exchange Points are the physical and logical hubs of the internet — locations where hundreds of networks connect to exchange traffic directly. Major IXPs such as DE-CIX (Frankfurt), AMS-IX (Amsterdam), LINX (London), and IX.br (São Paulo) handle hundreds of terabits of traffic per second. The PeeringDB database, which powers this tool, catalogs over 900 IXPs across more than 100 countries.
When an AS announces its prefixes at an IXP, it typically connects to a shared switch fabric. A route server collects BGP announcements from all members and redistributes them, eliminating the need for bilateral BGP sessions between every pair of participants. Members can filter routes, set communities, and apply routing policies to control what they accept and announce.
The economic benefits of IXP peering are substantial. By exchanging traffic directly at an IXP, networks avoid paying transit fees to upstream providers. For CDNs and large content providers, IXP peering is essential — it reduces round-trip latency, improves reliability, and allows better traffic engineering. Tools like this IXP browser help network engineers evaluate potential peering locations and understand the global IXP ecosystem.
Query PeeringDB API
curl "https://www.peeringdb.com/api/net?asn=13335" curl "https://www.peeringdb.com/api/ixlan" curl "https://www.peeringdb.com/api/ixpfx"