Egress

Egress is a term used to describe the act of going out or, as a noun, an exit or passage that leads to the outside or to another area. The word is commonly used in safety, architecture, and information technology. Egress comes from the Latin egressus, meaning "going out," and is often contrasted with ingress, the act of entering.

In architecture and building safety, means of egress refer to the continuous and unobstructed path from any occupied space to the exterior or a safe area. A means of egress typically comprises three parts: the exit access (the portion that leads to an exit), the exits themselves (doors, corridors, stairs), and the area of discharge to the exterior. Codes restrict travel distance, minimum doorway width, headroom, illumination, and signage to ensure occupants can reach safety without obstruction during an emergency.

In information technology and networking, egress describes outbound data traffic leaving a system or network. Egress traffic is monitored and controlled to prevent data exfiltration and to enforce security policies; organizations may implement egress filtering, firewall rules, or data loss prevention measures to restrict or inspect outbound connections and transmissions.

Outside safety and computing contexts, egress is also used in transportation and utilities to denote any route, opening, or channel that allows discharge from a system or space. The term remains a generic descriptor for exits and exit pathways in a wide range of disciplines.