Identifying and analysis the core structure of the internet Identifying and analysis the core structure of the internet

• Published in: Computing Vol. 107; no. 3; p. 87
• Main Authors: Xie, Yuancheng, Zhang, Zhaoxin, Gao, Haoyang, Li, Ning, Li, Jialu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.03.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Clustering; Computer Appl. in Administrative Data Processing; Computer Communication Networks; Computer Science; Information Systems Applications (incl.Internet); Internet; Regular Paper; Software Engineering; Topology; Business characteristic; AS topology; AS relationship; Evolution; 68M10; 68-02; Core network
• ISSN: 0010-485X; 1436-5057
• DOI: 10.1007/s00607-025-01419-w

The internet’s core Autonomous Systems (ASes) are vital for key services and exhibit significant structural properties. However, research on internet development and security is hindered by the absence of a clear definition and authoritative list of core ASes. This paper analyzes important ASes and summarizes their business, topology, and AS relationship characteristics to define the internet’s core structure and propose a method for inferring core ASes. The core network is a stable, tightly connected network of large multinational network provider ASes. The main routing views of core ASes are more likely to come from Peering ASes than from customer ASes. There is a negative correlation between the Transit Degree of core ASes and their Clustering Coefficient, and a positive correlation with their routing view. This suggests that core ASes that increase their routing view due to an increase in neighbor ASes do so at the expense of reducing the density of their neighbor AS network. Analysis of core ASes over the past decade shows dynamic changes in their importance, with business reasons for these changes analyzed by monitoring their ‘ALL’ and ‘P2C’ curves. As connections between core ASes become increasingly tight, the internet may flatten more quickly and evolve from multiple cores to fewer cores.