bird

Dynamic IP routing daemon

TLDR

Start BIRD with a specific configuration file

$ bird -c [/etc/bird/bird.conf]

Parse configuration and check for errors

$ bird -p

Run in foreground with debug messages

$ bird -d

Run in foreground as a specific user

$ bird -f -u [bird] -g [bird]

Start with a custom control socket path

$ bird -s [/run/bird/bird.ctl]

bird (BIRD Internet Routing Daemon) is a dynamic IP routing daemon supporting multiple routing protocols including BGP, OSPF, RIP, and Babel. It's designed for high-performance routing on Unix-like systems.The daemon is widely used for internet routing, particularly by ISPs and in data centers.

PARAMETERS

-c file

Use given configuration file instead of the default /etc/bird/bird.conf.

-d

Enable debug messages to stderr and run in foreground.

-D file

Log debugging information to given file instead of stderr.

-f

Run in foreground (without debug messages).

-p

Just parse the configuration file and exit. Returns zero if valid.

-s socket

Use given filename for the control socket (default: /run/bird/bird.ctl).

-P file

Create a PID file with the given filename.

-u user

Drop privileges and run as given user instead of root.

-g group

Run with given group ID.

-l

Look for configuration file and control socket in the current working directory.

-R

Apply graceful restart recovery after start.

--help

Display command-line options.

--version

Display BIRD version.

CONFIGURATION

/etc/bird/bird.conf

Main configuration file defining routing protocols, filters, and network interfaces.

SUPPORTED PROTOCOLS

BGP - Border Gateway ProtocolOSPF - Open Shortest Path First (v2 and v3)RIP - Routing Information ProtocolBabel - Babel routing protocolBFD - Bidirectional Forwarding DetectionStatic - Static routesKernel - Kernel routing table syncPipe - Route copying between tables

CONTROL

Use `birdc` (BIRD client) to interact with running daemon:

$ birdc show protocols
birdc show route
birdc configure

CAVEATS

Complex configuration for advanced setups. Requires root or network admin privileges (uses CAPNETADMIN when run with -u). Misconfiguration can disrupt routing. In BIRD 1.x, IPv4 and IPv6 used separate daemons (bird/bird6); BIRD 2.x unified them into a single daemon.

HISTORY

BIRD was developed at Charles University in Prague starting in 1998, becoming a popular open-source routing daemon for Unix systems.