The ip command is a versatile command on Linux. You can use it to view, monitor, and manage IP configurations. This tutorial provides a ready-to-use collection of the ip command with examples.
Viewing/managing IP addresses
| Command | Description | Example |
| ip address show | Display IP configuration of all interfaces | ip address show |
| ip address show [interface] | Display IP configuration of the specified interface | ip address show ens160 |
| ip address add [ip address/subnet mask] dev [interface] | Temporarily add the specified IP address to the specified interface | ip address add 10.0.0.1/8 dev ens160 |
| ip address del [ip address/ subnet mask] dev [interface] | Temporarily delete the specified IP address from the specified interface | ip address del 10.0.0.1/8 dev ens160 |
Viewing/managing multicast addresses
| Command | Description | Example |
| ip maddr | Display multicast addresses of all interfaces | ip maddr |
| ip maddr show dev [interface] | Display the multicast address of the specified address | ip maddr show dev ens160 |
| ip maddr add [multicast address] dev [interface] | Temporarily add the specified multicast address to the specified interface | ip maddr add 22:22:22:00:00:01 dev ens160 |
| ip maddr del [multicast address] dev [interface] | Temporarily remove the specified multicast address from the specified interface | ip maddr remove 22:22:22:00:00:01 dev ens160 |
Displaying/managing link state information
| Command | Description | Example |
| ip link show | Display link state information for interfaces | ip link show |
| ip link show [interface] | Display link state information for the specified interface | ip link show ens160 |
| ip -s link | Display statistics for all interfaces | ip -s link |
| ip link set [interface] down | Bring the specified interface offline | ip link set ens160 down |
| ip link set [interface] up | Bring the specified interface online | ip link set ens160 up |
| ip link set [interface] mtu [mtu value] | Set the specified mtu value on the specified interface | ip link set ens160 mtu 9000 |
| ip link set [interface] promisc on | Set the promiscuous mode on for the specified device | ip link set ens160 promisc on |
Showing default gateway/route
| Command | Description | Example |
| ip route | Display all route entries from the routing table | ip route |
| ip -4 route | Display only IPv4 routes | ip -4 route |
| ip -6 route | Display only IPv6 routes | ip -6 route |
Displaying ARP/neighbor table
| Command | Description | Example |
| ip neigh | Show the ARP neighbor table | ip neigh |
| ip neigh show dev [interface] | Show the ARP neighbor table for the specified device | ip neigh show dev ens160 |
Viewing help
| Command | Description | Example |
| ip help | Display help about the ip command | ip help |
| ip address help | Display help about the address option and its arguments | ip address help |
| ip link help | Display help about the link option and its arguments | ip link help |
| ip neigh help | Display help about the neigh option and its arguments | ip neigh help |
Conclusion
This tutorial summarizes the commonly used options with the ip command. Administrators use these options to view and troubleshoot IP configuration in the Linux system. By familiarizing yourself with these options, you can improve your efficiency in using the ip command.
By ComputerNetworkingNotes
Updated on 2025-11-04