What is the default value for BGP local preference?

• A. 200
• B. 50
• C. 100
• D. 0

Answer: (C)

Local preference is the BGP attribute that influences outbound path selection within your own AS; higher values mean a preferred exit point. It is local to the AS and is not advertised to other ASes, so it’s a policy knob you can tune without affecting external peers. If you don’t configure it, the default value is 100, as defined in RFC 4271. Because higher local preference values are favored, routes carrying a higher number will be chosen over those with a lower number. This default provides a neutral baseline; operators can raise it (for example to steer traffic toward a preferred exit) or leave it at 100 if no special preference is needed. Other numbers change the behavior: a higher value like 200 would indicate a stronger preference for a particular exit, while lower values such as 50 or 0 would deprioritize routes accordingly.