Which Route Wins: Static vs OSPF, BGP, and Default?

N10-009 By islever Editorial Last updated Oct 27, 2026

Explain characteristics of routing technologies.

Short answer

C Static, because a static route's administrative distance of 1 is preferred over eBGP (20), OSPF (110), and any default route that lacks a more specific prefix match.

Question

A router is learning routes using various methods. Which of the following routes will be selected as the next hop?

OSPF
Default
Static Correct Answer
BGP

Key Takeaways

It tests the order routers use when multiple sources offer a route, and the main trap is confusing BGP's exterior scope with route preference instead of comparing administrative distance.

This question tests administrative distance and route selection; it establishes that a static route (C) is chosen over OSPF, BGP, and a default route when the same destination is considered.

Common mistake: A common wrong pick is BGP because it is an exterior gateway protocol; eBGP's administrative distance of 20 is still higher than a static route's 1, so static wins for the same prefix.

Expert Analysis

The decision rule

A router does not choose a next hop merely because a protocol is popular or because a route was learned dynamically. For routes to the same destination prefix, common vendor implementations such as Cisco IOS first apply the longest prefix match, then administrative distance (AD), then the protocol metric. AD is the trustworthiness rank: lower is better. This is the governing principle; the routing-technologies objective expects you to know that source preference matters before metric tuning.

Applying it to the options

For a shared destination, a static route has AD 1, eBGP has AD 20, OSPF has AD 110, and iBGP has AD 200. Therefore the static route in option C is selected over OSPF (A) and BGP (D). The supplied comment makes the same point: routers prefer the lower administrative distance, so the static source is trusted most among these choices. The correct option is C.

Where “default” fits

Option B is not a competing AD in the same way. A default route is the prefix 0.0.0.0/0, so longest-prefix match means it is used only when no more specific route exists. If B were a static default route, its AD would be 1, but it still would not beat a more specific static, OSPF, or BGP route. If it were the only matching route, it would be used, but that is not the scenario implied by “various methods” for the same destination.

The BGP trap

BGP can look attractive because it is the Internet’s exterior gateway protocol, but eBGP’s AD of 20 is still higher than static’s 1. The exam trap is to confuse protocol scope or convergence speed with route preference. Remember the order: more specific prefix first, then lower AD, then lower metric.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When a routing question names several sources for the same destination, write down the route-selection sequence before reading options: longest prefix match, administrative distance, then metric. Compare the AD values for the named sources—static 1, eBGP 20, OSPF 110—and do not let protocol popularity override the numbers. Also watch for the word “default”: a 0.0.0.0/0 route is a prefix, not an AD, and loses to any more specific match.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a static route always beat a BGP route?

For the same destination prefix, yes: static AD is 1 and eBGP is 20; iBGP is 200. But longest prefix match happens first, so a more specific BGP route beats a less specific static route.

Where does a default route fit in this decision?

A default route is 0.0.0.0/0, so it is used only when no more specific route matches; its AD depends on how it was learned. It does not automatically outrank OSPF, BGP, or static routes for a specific prefix.

What if two static routes point to the same destination?

If two static routes match the same prefix, the router uses the lower metric; if metrics tie, it may install both for equal-cost load balancing.

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Discussion 1 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 1

ERB14 👍 1 Answered C

C. Static: Routers select paths based on Administrative Distance (AD)—a value that measures the trustworthiness of the routing source. Lower AD values mean higher preference/trust.

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