iproute2 is a collection of userspace utilities for controlling and monitoring various aspects of networking in the Linux kernel, including routing, network interfaces, tunnels, traffic control, and network-related device drivers.
| iproute2 | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of ip addr in Linux | |
| Original author | Alexey Kuznetsov |
| Developer | Stephen Hemminger |
| Stable release | 6.18.0[1] 
/ 1 December 2025 |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Type | Networking |
| License | GPLv2 |
| Website | wiki |
Project
editiproute2 is an open-source project released under the terms of version 2 of the GNU General Public License. Its development is closely tied to the development of networking components of the Linux kernel. As of December 2013[update], iproute2 is maintained by Stephen Hemminger and David Ahern. The original author, Alexey Kuznetsov, was responsible for the quality of service (QoS) implementation in the Linux kernel.[2]
iproute2 collection contains the following command-line utilities: arpd, bridge, ctstat, dcb, devlink, ip, lnstat, nstat, rdma, routef, routel, rtacct, rtmon, rtstat, ss, tc, tipc and vdpa. [3] tc is used for traffic control. iproute2 utilities communicate with the Linux kernel using the netlink protocol. Some of the iproute2 utilities are often recommended over now-obsolete net-tools utilities that provide the same functionality.[4][5] Below is a table of obsolete utilities and their iproute2 replacements.
| Legacy utility | Replacement command | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ifconfig | ip addr, ip link | Address and link configuration |
| route | ip route | Routing tables |
| arp | ip neigh | Neighbors |
| ifup | ip link set interface up | activate interface |
| iptunnel | ip tunnel | Tunnels |
| nameif, ifrename | ip link set name | Rename network interfaces |
| ipmaddr | ip maddr | Multicast |
| netstat | ss, ip route | Show various networking statistics |
| brctl | bridge | Handle bridge addresses and devices |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "v6.18.0 - iproute2/iproute2.git - Iproute2 routing commands and utilities". Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- ^ "Introduction to iproute2". The Linux Foundation. November 19, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ "list of the Debian package iproute2". Debian.
- ^ Martín Ferrari (March 15, 2009). "net-tools future". debian.org. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "net-tools". The Linux Foundation.
External links
edit- iproute2 on GitHub
- Linux Advanced Routing and Traffic Control HOWTO - A tutorial in exploring and using iproute2.
- IPROUTE2 Utility Suite Documentation - Complete official documentation.
- iproute2+tc notes - A collection of documents relating to iproute2 configuration and usage.