Abstract: A method and apparatus searches table information using keys of varying lengths. Based on criteria, the method selects one of three processes for performing the search. The first routine is a reverse hash search process which is useful for searching information with few key lengths. The second process is a hierarchical search routine which is useful for searching information with many key lengths. The third process is a compressed radix tree search which is useful for searching information that presents significant time barriers to the first two routines.