ip-link
Manage network interfaces
TLDR
Show information about all network interfaces
Show information about a specific network interface
Bring a network interface up or down
Give a meaningful name to a network interface
Change the MAC address of a network interface
Change the MTU size for a network interface to use jumbo frames
Set the promisc mode status of a device
SYNOPSIS
ip [OPTIONS] link [SELECTOR] { show | set | add | delete | list | help }
PARAMETERS
show [DEVICE] [FILTER]
Display link information for all or selected devices
set DEVICE
Change properties of the specified device
add [NAME] type TYPE [ARGLIST]
Create a new virtual link
delete DEVICE
Delete the specified link
list [DEVICE] [FILTER]
List devices (alias for show)
save [FILTER]
Save link configuration to a reusable format
up
Activate the device (used with set)
down
Deactivate the device
arp { on | off }
Enable/disable ARP protocol
multicast { on | off }
Enable/disable multicast
promisc { on | off }
Enable/disable promiscuous mode
address [mac] LLADDR
Set hardware (MAC) address
mtu BYTES
Set maximum transmission unit
name STRING
Set new device name
netns PID|NAME
Move device to network namespace
master DEVICE
Set master device (e.g., for bonding/bridge)
type TYPE
Specify link type (e.g., vlan, bridge, dummy)
xdp { off | obj FILE ... }
Manage XDP eBPF programs on device
vf NUM ...
Configure SR-IOV virtual functions
-s, --stats
Show statistics
-d, --details
Show detailed information
-r, --resolve
Resolve MAC addresses to hostnames
-o, --oneline
Output in one-line format
-j, --json
Output in JSON format
FILTER
Filter by up|down, dynamic, type TYPE, etc.
DESCRIPTION
ip link is a versatile command from the iproute2 suite used to display, create, configure, and delete network interfaces (links) on Linux systems. It provides detailed information about physical and virtual devices, including Ethernet, bridges, VLANs, tunnels, and more advanced features like SR-IOV virtual functions (VF) and XDP eBPF programs.
Key capabilities include listing all links with statistics (ip link show), activating/deactivating interfaces (ip link set dev eth0 up), changing MAC addresses or MTU, renaming devices, creating virtual interfaces (e.g., ip link add name dummy0 type dummy), and managing namespaces.
It supersedes legacy tools like ifconfig from net-tools, offering richer output, scripting-friendly formats (with -o), and support for modern networking (GSO, TSO, GRO). Most operations require root privileges. Use ip link help for full syntax. Ideal for network admins, automation scripts, and troubleshooting connectivity issues by inspecting link states, speeds, and duplex modes.
CAVEATS
Most operations require root or CAP_NET_ADMIN; some types need kernel modules; renaming busy devices may fail; XDP/VF require hardware support.
COMMON EXAMPLES
ip link show - list interfaces
ip link set dev eth0 up - bring up eth0
ip link add link eth0 name eth0.10 type vlan id 10 - add VLAN
ip link set dev eth0 address 00:11:22:33:44:55 - set MAC
LINK STATES
States: UP (carrier OK), DORMANT, LOWER_UP; flags: NOARP, UP, BROADCAST, RUNNING, MULTICAST
HISTORY
Part of iproute2 suite, developed by Alexey Kuznetsov starting ~1996; first stable release ~2001; actively maintained, replacing net-tools (ifconfig/route) since kernel 2.2 era.
