IFCONFIG(1)

📦 version 2.7, in nixpkgs unstable

💖 NAME 💖

okay bestie so ifconfig — it configures network interfaces. that's it, that's the whole vibe. your network cards? this is the girl who dresses them. 🎀

this one's from User Commands (section 1 of the manual, for the uninitiated 💅).

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

ifconfig [OPTION...]

and also, the long-form shape of it:

       NAME [ADDR] [broadcast BRDADDR] [pointopoint|dstaddr DSTADDR]

       [netmask MASK] [ether|hwaddr|lladdr MACADDR] [metric N] [mtu N]
       [txqueuelen N] [up|down] [FLAGS]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Configure network interfaces. that's the whole job, no cap. she's a network interface configurator and she ate. 💅

🌸 Linux-specific options

these babies are the Linux-only squad, iykyk:

  • -T, --txqlen=N — set transmit queue length to N ✨
  • -a, --all — display all available interfaces (every single one, no gatekeeping 🫶)
  • -A, --address=ADDR — set interface address to ADDR
  • -B, -b, --broadcast=ADDR, --brdaddr=ADDR — set broadcast address to ADDR 📡
  • --down — shut the interface down 💀 (she's going to sleep, do not disturb)
  • -d, -p, --dstaddr=ADDR, --peer=ADDR — set destination (peer) address to ADDR
  • --format=FORMAT — select output format; set it to help for info 👀 (there's like, extra info in there)
  • -F, --flags=FLAG[,FLAG...] — set interface flags
  • -i, --interface=NAME — configure network interface NAME
  • -l, --list — list available or selected interfaces 📋
  • --metric=N — set metric of interface to N
  • -m, --netmask=MASK — set netmask to MASK
  • -M, --mtu=N — set mtu of interface to N
  • -s, --short — short output format (for when you're in a rush bestie 🏃‍♀️)
  • --up — activate the interface 🔥 (wake up queen)
  • -v, --verbose — output information when configuring interface (she tells you everything she's doing 🗣️)
  • -?, --help — give this help list
  • --usage — give a short usage message
  • -V, --version — print program version
bestie listen: mandatory or optional arguments to long options are also mandatory or optional for any corresponding short options. that's just how it works, fr fr.

🧚 The Flags, aka the known-flag roster 👑

Known flags are: allmulti, arp, automedia, broadcast, debug, dynamic, master, multicast, pointopoint, portsel, promisc, slave, trailers, up

Prepend no to negate the effect. yes literally just stick no on the front and the flag is cancelled. iconic behaviour honestly. 🙈

💜 AUTHOR 💜

Written by Marcus Brinkmann. 👑 (we stan)

🌈 REPORTING BUGS 🌈

Report bugs to <bug-inetutils@gnu.org>. don't be shy, they literally want to know 🫶

Copyright © 2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.

There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. 👀 (yes, in all caps, because it's serious — no warranty bestie, read it, absorb it)

🍓 SEE ALSO 🍓

The full documentation for ifconfig is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and ifconfig programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info ifconfig

should give you access to the complete manual. so much more where that came from 💖

and that's the whole page bestie — this was GNU inetutils 2.7, dated December 2025, page IFCONFIG(1) of the manual. periodt. 🎀✨💅

📦 where this page comes from