netplan – Ubuntu Network Configuration

netplan is a YAML-based network configuration abstraction for Linux that simplifies network setup on Ubuntu and other systems. It provides a consistent interface for configuring networking regardless of the underlying renderer (NetworkManager or systemd-networkd), making network automation straightforward.

By describing network configurations in simple YAML files, netplan eliminates the complexity of traditional network configuration methods. Changes are applied atomically, reducing the risk of configuration errors leaving systems unreachable.

Key Features

• YAML Configuration – Human-readable config files
• Backend Agnostic – Works with NetworkManager or systemd-networkd
• Declarative – Describe desired state, not steps
• Atomic Apply – All-or-nothing configuration changes
• Cloud-Init Integration – Perfect for cloud deployments

Configuration Example

# /etc/netplan/01-config.yaml
network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    eth0:
      dhcp4: false
      addresses:
        - 192.168.1.100/24
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.168.1.1
      nameservers:
        addresses: [8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4]

Basic Commands

# Apply configuration
sudo netplan apply

# Generate and show configuration
sudo netplan generate

# Try configuration with rollback
sudo netplan try

# Debug configuration
sudo netplan --debug apply

Use Cases

• Server Setup – Configure static networking
• Cloud Instances – Automated network configuration
• Bonding/Bridging – Complex network setups
• VLAN Configuration – Network segmentation

View Documentation