Hop Count
The number of intermediate routers a packet crosses between source and destination, visible in traceroute output.
A hop is one router-to-router step on a packet's journey across the internet. Hop count is the total number of those steps from source to destination. Traceroute exposes the path by sending packets with incrementally larger TTL values: each router decrements TTL and, when it hits zero, replies with an ICMP Time Exceeded that reveals its IP. IPv6 calls the same field Hop Limit. Excessive hops add latency, and unexpected hop count changes can indicate routing leaks, BGP hijacks, or middlebox interference.