Routing vs Frowarding vs Switching

process of moving data from 1 device to another device

process of collecting data from 1 device and sending it to another device

process of switching data packets between devices on the same network

operates on network layer

operates on network layer

operates on data link layer

works based on IP address

checks the forwarding table and forward the packets accordingly

works based on MAC address

follows different protocols (Routing Information Protocol - RIP) for routing

follows different protocols (UDP Encapsulating Security Payloads - UDP ESP)

follows different protocols (STP - Spanning Tree Protocol)