OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) and RIP (Routing Information Protocol) are routing protocols. They exchange information with connected routers, so that all routers can navigate packets across a network.
Wikipedia
A routing protocol specifies how routers communicate with each other, distributing information that enables them to select routes between any two nodes on a computer network. Routers perform the "traffic directing" functions on the Internet; data packets are forwarded through the networks of the internet from router to router until they reach their destination computer. Routing algorithms determine the specific choice of route. Each router has a prior knowledge only of networks attached …