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Core switch, also called by backbone switch, serves as the gateway to a Wide Area Network. They are the last aggregation part of the network and give the authority for other network devices to work together in the same system. Core switch is normally with at least a 10Gbps transmission rate to handle high-speed traffic. In the core layer, switching ends and routing begins. Core switches are normally designed with basic routing features according to different functions needed. Unlike normal cascade switches, core switches must also be a layer 3 switch with strong redundancy function to make sure the traffic and data transmission are fast enough and reliable.

The biggest difference between the core switch and other switches is that the core switch has to be a fully managed switch. It's always required to be fast enough and highly available under all kinds of circumstances. Since it's connected with all aggregation switches, core switches are also demanded to be with enough fault tolerance. For a switch that is not required to be used in the core layer, it can be both managed and unmanaged types.