A network bridge is a device or application that reduces network congestion by connecting and filtering traffic across network segments. Network bridges treat segments as a single network and forward Ethernet frames between segments based on learned MAC address tables. This function is called network bridging. Bridging is distinct from routing. Three main bridge types exist: transparent, source routing, and translational, each suited to different. A bridge is a networking device that connects two or more Local Area Network (LAN) segments and enables communication between them. It operates at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model and uses MAC addresses to determine whether a frame should be forwarded or filtered.
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