ip command
Network configuration tool for managing interfaces, routing, and addresses.
Overview
The ip command is a powerful utility for configuring and monitoring network interfaces, routing tables, and addresses in Linux systems. It's part of the iproute2 package and provides more functionality than older networking commands like ifconfig, route, and netstat. The command follows a structured syntax where objects (link, address, route, etc.) are followed by commands and options.
Options
help
Display help information for a specific object
$ ip help
Usage: ip [ OPTIONS ] OBJECT { COMMAND | help }
ip [ -force ] -batch filename
where OBJECT := { link | address | addrlabel | route | rule | neigh | ntable |
tunnel | tuntap | maddress | mroute | mrule | monitor | xfrm |
netns | l2tp | fou | macsec | tcp_metrics | token | netconf | ila |
vrf | sr | nexthop | mptcp }
OPTIONS := { -V[ersion] | -s[tatistics] | -d[etails] | -r[esolve] |
-h[uman-readable] | -iec | -j[son] | -p[retty] |
-f[amily] { inet | inet6 | mpls | bridge | link } |
-4 | -6 | -I | -D | -M | -B | -0 |
-l[oops] { maximum-addr-flush-attempts } | -br[ief] |
-o[neline] | -t[imestamp] | -ts[hort] | -b[atch] [filename] |
-rc[vbuf] [size] | -n[etns] name | -N[umeric] | -a[ll] |
-c[olor]}
-s, --stats, --statistics
Display more information/statistics
$ ip -s link show
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
RX: bytes packets errors dropped overrun mcast
3800 38 0 0 0 0
TX: bytes packets errors dropped carrier collsns
3800 38 0 0 0 0
-d, --details
Display detailed information
$ ip -d link show
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00 promiscuity 0 minmtu 0 maxmtu 0
inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
inet6 ::1/128 scope host
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
-h, --human, --human-readable
Display statistics in human-readable format
$ ip -h -s link show
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
RX: bytes packets errors dropped overrun mcast
3.8K 38 0 0 0 0
TX: bytes packets errors dropped carrier collsns
3.8K 38 0 0 0 0
-br, --brief
Display brief output
$ ip -br address show
lo UNKNOWN 127.0.0.1/8 ::1/128
eth0 UP 192.168.1.100/24 fe80::a00:27ff:fe74:ddaa/64
-c, --color
Use color output
$ ip -c link show
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
Usage Examples
Displaying network interfaces
$ ip link show
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
2: eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
link/ether 08:00:27:74:dd:aa brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
Displaying IP addresses
$ ip address show
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN group default qlen 1000
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
inet6 ::1/128 scope host
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
2: eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UP group default qlen 1000
link/ether 08:00:27:74:dd:aa brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
inet 192.168.1.100/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic eth0
valid_lft 86389sec preferred_lft 86389sec
inet6 fe80::a00:27ff:fe74:ddaa/64 scope link
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
Adding an IP address to an interface
$ sudo ip address add 192.168.1.200/24 dev eth0
Bringing an interface up or down
$ sudo ip link set eth0 up
$ sudo ip link set eth0 down
Displaying routing table
$ ip route show
default via 192.168.1.1 dev eth0 proto dhcp metric 100
192.168.1.0/24 dev eth0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.1.100 metric 100
Adding a static route
$ sudo ip route add 10.0.0.0/24 via 192.168.1.254
Tips:
Use Brief Output for Quick Overview
The -br option provides a concise, tabular view of network information, making it easier to scan multiple interfaces quickly.
$ ip -br link
lo UNKNOWN 00:00:00:00:00:00 <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP>
eth0 UP 08:00:27:74:dd:aa <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
Save and Restore IP Configuration
You can save your current IP configuration to a file and restore it later:
$ ip addr save > ip-config.txt
$ ip addr restore < ip-config.txt
Monitor Network Changes
Use the ip monitor command to watch for network changes in real-time:
$ ip monitor
Use Namespaces for Network Isolation
Network namespaces allow you to create isolated network environments:
$ sudo ip netns add mynetwork
$ sudo ip netns exec mynetwork ip link list
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What's the difference between ip and ifconfig?
A. ip is newer, more powerful, and provides more functionality than ifconfig. It can manage routing tables, network interfaces, and IP addresses with a consistent syntax. ifconfig is considered deprecated in many Linux distributions.
Q2. How do I check my IP address?
A. Use ip address show or the shorter ip a to display all IP addresses. For a specific interface, use ip address show dev eth0.
Q3. How do I add a temporary IP address?
A. Use sudo ip address add 192.168.1.200/24 dev eth0 to add an IP address to interface eth0. This address will be lost after reboot unless configured in network configuration files.
Q4. How do I flush all IP addresses from an interface?
A. Use sudo ip address flush dev eth0 to remove all IP addresses from the eth0 interface.
Q5. How do I view my routing table?
A. Use ip route show or the shorter ip r to display the routing table.
References
https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/ip.8.html
Revisions
- 2025/05/05 First revision