IO::In...:Simple(3pm)

🌸 NAME 🌸

IO::Interface::Simple — bestie, it's the Perl extension for access to network card configuration information. 💅 (The header of this here manual page calls it IO::In...:Simple(3pm), and it hangs out in the User Contributed Perl Documentation section, iykyk.)

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

use IO::Interface::Simple;

my $if1   = IO::Interface::Simple->new('eth0');
my $if2   = IO::Interface::Simple->new_from_address('127.0.0.1');
my $if3   = IO::Interface::Simple->new_from_index(1);

my @interfaces = IO::Interface::Simple->interfaces;

for my $if (@interfaces) {
   print "interface = $if\n";
   print "addr =      ",$if->address,"\n",
         "broadcast = ",$if->broadcast,"\n",
         "netmask =   ",$if->netmask,"\n",
         "dstaddr =   ",$if->dstaddr,"\n",
         "hwaddr =    ",$if->hwaddr,"\n",
         "mtu =       ",$if->mtu,"\n",
         "metric =    ",$if->metric,"\n",
         "index =     ",$if->index,"\n";

   print "is running\n"     if $if->is_running;
   print "is broadcast\n"   if $if->is_broadcast;
   print "is p-to-p\n"      if $if->is_pt2pt;
   print "is loopback\n"    if $if->is_loopback;
   print "is promiscuous\n" if $if->is_promiscuous;
   print "is multicast\n"   if $if->is_multicast;
   print "is notrailers\n"  if $if->is_notrailers;
   print "is noarp\n"       if $if->is_noarp;
 }

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So IO::Interface::Simple lets you interrogate and change network interfaces. Periodt. It's got overlapping functionality with Net::Interface, but — plot twist — it might compile and run on more platforms. More platforms = more slay. 🫶

👑 Class Methods 👑

• $interface = IO::Interface::Simple->new('eth0') — hand it an interface name and new() hands you back an interface object. That's it, that's the whole vibe.
• @iflist = IO::Interface::Simple->interfaces; — returns a list of active interface objects. All the live ones, lined up. 🔥
• $interface = IO::Interface::Simple->new_from_address('192.168.0.1') — gives you back the interface object that corresponds to the address you passed in. Match made in heaven fr fr.
• $interface = IO::Interface::Simple->new_from_index(2) — gives you back the interface object corresponding to the given numeric index. ⚠️ Heads up bestie: this one is only supported on BSD-ish platforms.

🎀 Object Methods 🎀

• $name = $interface->name — gets the name of the interface. Oh and the interface object is overloaded</>, so if you use it in a string context it does the exact same thing as calling name(). Lowkey iconic.
• $index = $interface->index — gets the index of the interface. Again: only supported on BSD-like platforms. Sorry to the Linux girlies. 😭
• $addr = $interface->address([$newaddr]) — get or set the interface's address.
• $addr = $interface->broadcast([$newaddr]) — get or set the interface's broadcast address.
• $addr = $interface->netmask([$newmask]) — get or set the interface's netmask.
• $addr = $interface->hwaddr([$newaddr]) — get or set the interface's hardware address.
• $addr = $interface->mtu([$newmtu]) — get or set the interface's MTU.
• $addr = $interface->metric([$newmetric]) — get or set the interface's metric.
• $flags = $interface->flags([$newflags]) — get or set the interface's flags. You can AND these with the IFF constants exported by IO::Interface or Net::Interface to interrogate the state and capabilities of the interface. That said, it's probably way comfier to just use the broken-out methods listed right below. 👇
• $flag = $interface->is_running([$newflag])
• $flag = $interface->is_broadcast([$newflag])
• $flag = $interface->is_pt2pt([$newflag])
• $flag = $interface->is_loopback([$newflag])
• $flag = $interface->is_promiscuous([$newflag])
• $flag = $interface->is_multicast([$newflag])
• $flag = $interface->is_notrailers([$newflag])
• $flag = $interface->is_noarp([$newflag])

These get or set the corresponding configuration parameters. 🫶

⚠️ Real talk: the operating system may not let you set some of these. Not a bug, just the OS being the OS. 💀

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💜 AUTHOR 💜

Lincoln D. Stein <lincoln.stein@gmail.com> — Copyright 2001-2014, Lincoln D. Stein.

This library is distributed under the Perl Artistic License 2.0. Please see LICENSE for more information.

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🌈 SUPPORT 🌈

For feature requests, bug reports and code contributions, please use the GitHub repository at https://github.com/lstein/LibIO-Interface-Perl

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⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

perl, IO::Socket, IO::Multicast), IO::Interface, Net::Interface

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Ok that's the whole page bestie, you ate it up. 🍓 Signing off with the receipts: this was perl v5.42.3, dated 2026-08-19, and the page is IO::In...:Simple(3pm). Go talk to some network cards, main character. 🧚💖