vtysh

Start the interactive shell

$ sudo vtysh

$ sudo vtysh -c "[show ip route]"

$ sudo vtysh -E -c "[show ip route]"

$ sudo vtysh -d [bgpd]

$ sudo vtysh -b

$ sudo vtysh -c "show running-config"

vtysh [-b] [-c command] [-d daemon] [-E] [-h]

vtysh is an integrated command shell for FRRouting (FRR) and Quagga routing software. It provides a unified Cisco IOS-like CLI for configuring and monitoring all routing daemons (Zebra, BGP, OSPF, RIP, IS-IS, etc.) from a single interface.
The shell operates in hierarchical modes: User EXEC mode for basic commands, Privileged EXEC mode (via enable) for administrative commands, and Configuration mode (via configure terminal) for making changes. Each routing protocol has its own configuration sub-mode.
vtysh connects to all running routing daemons through their control sockets, presenting their combined functionality. Commands like show ip route, show bgp summary, and show running-config aggregate information from all relevant daemons.
Configuration can be saved with write memory to the integrated config file (/etc/frr/frr.conf) or individual daemon configs.

-b, --boot

Execute boot startup configuration from the integrated config file.

Execute specified command and exit. Can be used multiple times for multiple commands.

Connect to specific daemon only (zebra, bgpd, ospfd, ripd, isisd, etc.).

Echo the command and prompt before displaying results. Useful for scripting.

Display help message.

Requires root privileges or membership in the frr/quagga group to access daemon control sockets. The integrated config file must be enabled for unified configuration. Some commands may behave differently than Cisco IOS despite similar syntax. Tab completion and context-sensitive help (?) are available in interactive mode.

vtysh was developed as part of the Quagga routing suite, which forked from GNU Zebra in 2003. When Quagga development stalled, the FRRouting project forked it in 2017 and continued active development. vtysh remains the primary CLI for FRR, providing a familiar interface for network engineers accustomed to commercial router operating systems.

zebra(8), bgpd(8), ospfd(8), ripd(8)