Back to the main page

What is an AS?

The Internet is a network of networks, and autonomous systems are the big networks that make up the Internet. More specifically, an autonomous system (AS) is a large network or group of networks that has a unified routing policy. Every computer or device that connects to the Internet is connected to an AS. Each AS is assigned an official number, or autonomous system number (ASN), similar to how every business has a business license with an unique, official number. But unlike businesses, external parties often refer to ASes by their number alone.

About ASes...