Netplan

Netplan is the network configuration layer on Ubuntu: YAML files in /etc/netplan/ are rendered into configuration for systemd-networkd or NetworkManager. Use it to set static addresses, DHCP, VLANs, bridges and bonds on Ubuntu servers and cloud images.

Documentation: Netplan reference · Netplan how-to guides Project: Netplan

Verification: commands were checked against the netplan man pages in Ubuntu 24.04. YAML keys follow the Netplan reference; configurations were validated with netplan generate only, and were not applied to a live network. Interface names (enp1s0) and addresses are examples.

Commands #

COMMAND	DESCRIPTION
`sudo netplan try`	Apply with automatic rollback unless you confirm within the timeout
`sudo netplan try --timeout 30`	Choose the confirmation timeout in seconds
`sudo netplan apply`	Apply the configuration now
`sudo netplan generate`	Render backend config and check the YAML without applying
`sudo netplan get`	Show the merged configuration
`sudo netplan status`	Interface state, addresses and routes
`sudo netplan status --all`	Include interfaces Netplan does not manage
`sudo netplan --debug generate`	Debug output for parse problems
`ls /etc/netplan/`	Configuration files, merged in lexical order

Always use netplan try on a remote machine: a wrong address on apply can lock you out.

Static Address #

Netplan files must not be world-readable; use chmod 600.

yaml
# /etc/netplan/01-static.yaml
network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    enp1s0:
      dhcp4: false
      addresses:
        - 192.0.2.10/24
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.0.2.1
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 192.0.2.53
        search:
          - example.com

DHCP #

yaml
network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    enp1s0:
      dhcp4: true
      dhcp6: false

VLAN #

yaml
network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    enp1s0: {}
  vlans:
    enp1s0.20:
      id: 20
      link: enp1s0
      addresses:
        - 198.51.100.10/24

Bridge #

yaml
network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    enp1s0: {}
  bridges:
    br0:
      interfaces:
        - enp1s0
      addresses:
        - 192.0.2.10/24
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.0.2.1
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 192.0.2.53

Bond #

yaml
network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    enp1s0: {}
    enp2s0: {}
  bonds:
    bond0:
      interfaces:
        - enp1s0
        - enp2s0
      parameters:
        mode: active-backup
      dhcp4: true

Useful Keys #

KEY	PURPOSE
`renderer: networkd` / `NetworkManager`	Backend that applies the configuration
`dhcp4`, `dhcp6`	Enable DHCP per family
`addresses`	List of `ADDRESS/PREFIX`
`routes` with `to` and `via`	Static routes; `to: default` is the default route
`nameservers` with `addresses`, `search`	DNS servers and search domains
`mtu`	Link MTU
`match` with `macaddress` or `name`	Select interfaces by MAC or name pattern
`set-name`	Rename a matched interface (needs `match`)
`wakeonlan: true`	Wake-on-LAN, see Wake-on-LAN
`optional: true`	Do not wait for this interface at boot

Troubleshooting #

SYMPTOM	FIX
`Permissions ... are too open` warning	`sudo chmod 600 /etc/netplan/*.yaml`
YAML error on `generate`	Use spaces, never tabs; check indentation and list dashes
Config ignored	A later file overrides it; check `netplan get` and file order
Cloud image reverts the config	`cloud-init` writes `50-cloud-init.yaml`; disable its network config (see the cloud-init docs) or edit that file
No DNS after change	`resolvectl status`, and check `nameservers` is under the interface, not at the top level
Interface not managed	`netplan status --all`; another tool (NetworkManager, ifupdown) may own it

See Also #

Updated 7 Nov 2026 Edit this page on GitHub