Systems and methods for fast, efficient content-based routing that allow a router to perform true content-based routing without having to de-serialize the data and apply a full content-based filter by determining the exact set of consumers to forward the data onto based on packet headers. A system for fast content-based routing may receive a subscription from a receiver machine and may assign a unique ID associated with the subscription in a router table. The system may then place a ID associated with a particular subscription in a message header if the message corresponds to the subscription. The system may then analyze the router table to determine one or more receiver machines associated with the ID in the header of the message. The system may then send, from a sender machine to one or more receiver machines, one or more messages containing the ID in the header of the message.