Equal-Cost Multipath, or ECMP, is a routing technique that allows a router or Layer 3 switch to use multiple paths toward the same destination when those paths have equivalent routing costs.

Instead of forcing all traffic through a single best route, ECMP can create a set of valid next hops and distribute network flows across them. Equal-cost routes are commonly produced by routing protocols such as OSPF, IS-IS, and BGP multipath configurations, making ECMP particularly useful in highly redundant network architectures.

ECMP typically distributes traffic using a hashing algorithm based on information contained in network flows, such as source and destination addresses and potentially transport-layer information. This approach helps keep packets belonging to the same flow on a consistent path while allowing separate flows to use different links.

Juniper, for example, documents ECMP implementations in which multiple equal-cost next hops can participate in forwarding and hashing determines the path selected for individual flows.

ECMP has become especially important in modern data centers, cloud networks, leaf-spine architectures, and large-scale AI infrastructure because these environments often contain numerous parallel links between network devices.

Using multiple paths increases available bandwidth, improves infrastructure utilization, and provides redundancy if one route becomes unavailable.

ECMP therefore complements technologies such as the RIB and FIB: routing processes identify multiple eligible paths, while the forwarding system uses those next hops

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