What does the asterisk (*) indicate when placed before a route in a routing table?

The asterisk (*) in a routing table indicates that a particular route is the active chosen route. This signifies that the route is currently being used for forwarding packets. When a routing table is displayed, the presence of an asterisk before a route provides a clear and immediate visual cue to network administrators about which route is the preferred path for data traffic.

This concept is critical because routing protocols often calculate multiple potential routes to a destination. However, only one route will typically be selected as active at any given time based on metrics such as distance, administrative distance, and other factors that determine the best path. The asterisk effectively highlights the chosen path from potentially multiple options, ensuring that network devices can manage traffic efficiently.