Routing information that is shared within an AS is transmitted by an interior gateway protocol (IGP). Of the different IGPs, the most common are RIP, OSPF, and IS-IS. IGPs are designed to be fast acting and light duty. They typically incorporate only a moderate security system, because trusted internal peers do not require the stringent security measures that untrusted peers require. As a result, you can usually begin routing within an AS by enabling the IGP on all internal interfaces and performing minimal additional configuration. You do not need to establish individual adjacencies.
Routing information that is shared with a peer AS is transmitted by an exterior gateway protocol (EGP). The primary EGP in use in almost all networks is the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). BGP is designed to be very secure. Individual connections must be explicitly configured on each side of the link. As a result, although large numbers of connections are difficult to configure and maintain, each connection is secure.