Bridges, the instrumental devices in networking that connect and extend local area networks (LANs), enabling seamless communication between devices across different segments. Serving as intelligent network components, bridges operate at the data link layer of the OSI model, inspecting and filtering data packets to efficiently forward them between connected network segments. These devices play a crucial role in optimizing network performance and managing traffic. Bridges enhance network efficiency by reducing unnecessary data transmission, effectively segregating network segments to minimize congestion. This ensures that only relevant data traverses the network, preventing unnecessary traffic from affecting overall performance.