ip-address
Show or manipulate network interfaces and addresses
TLDR
List network interfaces and their associated IP addresses
Filter to show only active network interfaces
Display information about a specific network interface
Add an IP address to a network interface
Remove an IP address from a network interface
Delete all IP addresses in a given scope from a network interface
SYNOPSIS
ip [GLOBAL-OPTIONS] address|addr { add | change | replace | delete|del | show|list|flush | save } [OPTIONS]
PARAMETERS
add
Add new protocol address
change
Change protocol address
replace
Replace protocol address (add or update)
delete|del
Delete protocol address
show|list|lst
Show protocol addresses
flush
Flush protocol addresses
save
Save addresses to file (RT format)
dev NAME
Interface name
label NAME
Label for interface alias
scope SCOPE
Address scope (global|site|link|host)
to PREFIX
Address prefix
metric NUMBER
Routing metric
mtu NUMBER
Interface MTU
broadcast ADDR
Broadcast address
type TYPE
Address type (local|broadcast|anycast|unicast|peer|proxy)
valid_lft LIFETIME
Valid lifetime (forever|seconds)
preferred_lft LIFETIME
Preferred lifetime
DESCRIPTION
ip address (or ip addr), part of the iproute2 suite, displays and manipulates protocol addresses (IPv4/IPv6) on Linux network interfaces. It replaces the legacy ifconfig from net-tools, offering richer features like detailed stats, multiple address support per interface, and scripting-friendly output. Use show or list to view addresses, including flags (UP, LOWER_UP), MTU, MAC, RX/TX stats, and inet6 entries. Subcommands enable adding addresses with prefixes, scopes, labels for persistence, metrics for routing, and temporary flags. Common tasks: assign static IPs, manage VLANs/bridges, troubleshoot connectivity. Supports selectors like dev for specific interfaces, type for address types (local, broadcast), and JSON output (-J) in recent versions. Essential for sysadmins, with granular control over peer addresses, proxies, and anycast.
CAVEATS
Requires root for add/del/change. Deprecated peer option in some versions; use type peer. Output parsing brittle without -J. Not for wireless config (use wpa_supplicant).
EXAMPLES
ip addr show or ip a
List all addresses.
ip addr add 192.168.1.10/24 dev eth0 label eth0:home
Add IPv4 address.
ip addr del 192.168.1.10/24 dev eth0
Delete address.
ip -6 addr show dev eth0
Show IPv6 only.
OUTPUT FIELDS
Key fields: inet (v4), inet6 (v6), brd (broadcast), scope (link/global), valid_lft/preferred_lft (timers), metric.
HISTORY
Developed by Alexey Kuznetsov in late 1990s as part of iproute2 for Linux 2.2+ advanced routing. Replaced net-tools in major distros (RHEL 5+, Ubuntu 8+). Maintained by NetworkManager team; JSON support added ~2015.
