What is anycast? Anycast, also known as IP anycast, is a networking technique that allows for multiple machines to share the same IP address. Based on the location of the user request, the routers send it to the machine in the network that is closest. This is beneficial since, among other things, it reduces latency and increases redundancy. If a particular data center were to go offline, an anycasted IP would choose the best path for users and automatically redirect them to the next closest data center.