nbdkit-libvirt-plugin(1)

📦
version 1.48.0 · 11 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

✨ nbdkit-libvirt-plugin ✨

Okay bestie, so this is the nbdkit-libvirt-plugin page — it's a section 1 manpage, and it's genuinely one of the cutest little bridges between your libvirt guests and the rest of your stack. Let's get into it 💅

🌸 NAME 🌸

nbdkit-libvirt-plugin — the nbdkit libvirt plugin, and it does all its magic using virDomainBlockPeek ✨

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

nbdkit libvirt [connect=URI] domain=DOMAIN disk=DISK

🦋 EXAMPLE 🦋

nbdkit libvirt domain=MyGuest disk=sda
guestfish --ro --format=raw -a nbd://localhost

Like, that's the whole vibe right there — spin it up, point guestfish at nbd://localhost, done 💖

👑 DESCRIPTION 👑

nbdkit-libvirt-plugin is an nbdkit(1) plugin that lets you access libvirt guest disks. That's the serve 🫶

Important vibe check though: only read-only access is possible. No writing, nope, not a thing.

It's implemented using the libvirt virDomainBlockPeek API. And it can also be used over remote libvirt connections — icon status fr fr 🌈

🍓 PARAMETERS 🍓

  • connect=URI — this optional parameter specifies the libvirt connection URI ✨ It's optional, so skip it if you don't need it, but it's giving "I have multiple hypervisors" energy when you do.
  • domain=DOMAIN — this required parameter specifies the libvirt domain name (a.k.a. the guest name). Not optional bestie, you must give it.
  • disk=DISK — this required parameter specifies the guest's disk that we want to read 💅

You can either give the path to the backing device (/path/to/disk) or the target name (eg. sda). Both work, pick your fighter.

In either case use virsh dumpxml DOMAIN to list possible disks. Then look for <source dev=...> or <source file=...> or <target dev=...> in the XML. That's where they're hiding 👀

🧚 FILES 🧚

  • $plugindir/nbdkit-libvirt-plugin.so — the plugin itself, the main character 💫

Use nbdkit --dump-config to find the location of $plugindir. It's not gonna tell you where it lives unless you ask, and this is how you ask.

⭐ VERSION ⭐

nbdkit-libvirt-plugin first appeared in nbdkit 1.0. An OG, honestly. Ancient. Respect. 🎀

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Go read them, they're lowkey essential iykyk 📚

💜 AUTHORS 💜

Richard W.M. Jones 👑

Copyright Red Hat

💀 LICENSE 💀

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

  • Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
  • Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
  • Neither the name of Red Hat nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY RED HAT AND CONTRIBUTORS ''AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL RED HAT OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

And that's the page!! This masterpiece is from nbdkit-1.48.0, dated 2026-08-22, and it's nbdkit-libvirt-plugin(1) — go read a guest disk, bestie, you've got this 💖✨🎀🦋

📦 where this page comes from