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Reference.org
Key-based routing
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<p>Key-based routing (KBR) is a lookup method used in conjunction with <a href="/facts/Distributed_hash_table/3eDfAaoh">distributed hash tables</a> (DHTs) and certain other <a href="/facts/Overlay_network/NCJoCs7P">overlay networks</a>. While DHTs provide a method to find a host responsible for a certain piece of data, KBR provides a method to find the <i>closest</i> host for that data, according to some defined <a href="/facts/Metric_(unit)/qVbntaF8">metric</a>. This may not necessarily be defined as physical distance, but rather the number of network hops. </p>