Out of several BGP attributes, there are four mandatory attributes

that must be included in every BGP update message:

Attribute Name Description

Indicates how BGP learned the route. The value can be one of three types: IGP
Origin (Interior Gateway Protocol), EGP (Exterior Gateway Protocol), or Incomplete.

Contains a list of AS numbers that indicates the path a route has taken. When a
AS_Path router advertises a route to its neighbor, it adds its own AS number to the AS_Path.

Specifies the next hop IP address that is to be used to reach the destination. In
Next Hop most cases, this will be the IP address of the router that sent the advertisement.

Multi Exit Optional non-transitive attribute used to give a hint to external neighbors about
Discriminator the preferred path into the AS when there are multiple entry points available. Often
(MED) used in conjunction with AS_Path to influence decision-making in traffic routing.
Table of the BGP best path selection process with the mnemonic "We
Love Oranges As Oranges Mean Pure Refreshment":

Mnemonic
Letter Attribute Description

This is a Cisco-defined attribute, and it is local to the router. The

W Weight path with the highest weight is preferred.

L Local Preference The path with the highest local preference is preferred.

Prefer the path that was locally originated via a network or

aggregate BGP subcommand or through redistribution from an
O Locally Originated IGP.

A AS_Path The path with the shortest AS_Path is preferred.

O Origin type Prefer the path with the lowest origin type.

MED (Multi Exit Prefer the path with the lowest MED. This is also known as the
M Discriminator) metric.

Prefer eBGP over If the preceding steps do not result in a tie break, prefer eBGP
P iBGP paths over iBGP paths.

If all else is equal, prefer the path with the lowest router ID, which
R RID (Router ID) is the router ID of the advertising router.

Remember, this mnemonic and the table don't include some nuanced steps of the Cisco BGP selection
process, but they cover the main attributes used in the decision-making process.
The complete list of BGP path selection attributes is as follows:
Attribute (Full List) WLOAOMPR

Weight W

Local Preference L

Locally Originated/Generated O

AS_PATH A

Origin Code O

MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator) M

Prefer eBGP over iBGP paths P

Lowest IGP metric to the BGP next hop

Oldest route for EBGP paths

Lowest Router ID R

Minimum cluster list length

Lowest neighbor address