IP Command Cheatsheet
Basic Syntax
Use this structure for most ip operations.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ip [OPTIONS] OBJECT COMMAND |
General ip command syntax |
ip -br a |
Show addresses in brief format |
ip -c a |
Show colorized output |
ip -4 a |
Show only IPv4 addresses |
ip -6 a |
Show only IPv6 addresses |
Show Interfaces and Addresses
Inspect links and assigned IP addresses.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ip link show |
Show all network interfaces |
ip link show dev eth0 |
Show one interface |
ip addr show |
Show all IP addresses |
ip addr show dev eth0 |
Show addresses on one interface |
ip -br addr |
Brief interface and address overview |
Add and Remove IP Addresses
Assign or remove IP addresses on interfaces.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
sudo ip addr add 192.168.1.50/24 dev eth0 |
Add IPv4 address |
sudo ip addr del 192.168.1.50/24 dev eth0 |
Remove IPv4 address |
sudo ip addr add 2001:db8::50/64 dev eth0 |
Add IPv6 address |
sudo ip addr flush dev eth0 |
Remove all addresses from interface |
ip addr show dev eth0 |
Verify interface addresses |
Bring Interfaces Up or Down
Enable, disable, or rename network links.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
sudo ip link set dev eth0 up |
Bring interface up |
sudo ip link set dev eth0 down |
Bring interface down |
sudo ip link set dev eth0 mtu 9000 |
Change MTU |
sudo ip link set dev eth0 name lan0 |
Rename interface |
ip -br link |
Show link state quickly |
Routing Table
Inspect and manage network routes.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ip route show |
Show IPv4 routing table |
ip -6 route show |
Show IPv6 routing table |
ip route get 8.8.8.8 |
Show route used for destination |
sudo ip route add default via 192.168.1.1 |
Add default gateway |
sudo ip route del default |
Remove default gateway |
sudo ip route add 10.10.0.0/16 via 192.168.1.254 dev eth0 |
Add static route |
Neighbor (ARP/NDP) Table
View and manage neighbor cache entries.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ip neigh show |
Show neighbor table |
ip neigh show dev eth0 |
Show neighbors for one interface |
sudo ip neigh flush dev eth0 |
Clear neighbor entries on interface |
sudo ip neigh del 192.168.1.10 dev eth0 |
Remove a neighbor entry |
ip -s neigh |
Show neighbor statistics |
Policy Routing
Work with multiple routing tables and rules.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ip rule show |
List policy routing rules |
sudo ip rule add from 192.168.10.0/24 table 100 |
Route source subnet using table 100 |
sudo ip route add default via 10.0.0.1 table 100 |
Add default route to custom table |
sudo ip rule del from 192.168.10.0/24 table 100 |
Remove policy rule |
ip route show table 100 |
Show routes in table 100 |
Network Namespaces
Inspect or run commands inside network namespaces.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ip netns list |
List network namespaces |
sudo ip netns add ns1 |
Create namespace |
sudo ip netns exec ns1 ip a |
Run ip a inside namespace |
sudo ip netns del ns1 |
Delete namespace |
ip -n ns1 route |
Show routes in namespace |
Troubleshooting
Fast checks for common network issues.
| Issue | Check |
|---|---|
| No IP assigned to interface | ip addr show dev eth0 |
| Interface is down | ip link show dev eth0 then sudo ip link set dev eth0 up |
| Wrong default route | ip route show and verify default via ... |
| Cannot reach destination | ip route get DESTINATION_IP |
| Stale ARP/neighbor entry | sudo ip neigh flush dev eth0 |
Related Guides
Use these articles for detailed networking workflows.
| Guide | Description |
|---|---|
Linux ip Command with Examples
|
Complete ip command guide |
How to Find Your IP Address in Linux
|
Public and private IP lookup methods |
Traceroute Command in Linux
|
Path and hop diagnostics |
UFW Cheatsheet
|
Firewall rules quick reference |
