GPU Al/ML today! NVIDIA A100s & H100s for €1.43/h
en
Get started for free Sign in

Select the Gcore Platform

Recommended
Gcore Edge Solutions
Go to Gcore Platform →
Products:
  • Edge Delivery (CDN)
  • DNS with failover
  • Virtual Machines
  • Bare Metal
  • Cloud Load Balancers
  • Managed Kubernetes
  • AI Infrastructure
  • Edge Security (DDOS+WAF)
  • FaaS
  • Streaming
  • Object Storage
  • ImageStack (Optimize and Resize)
  • Edge Compute (Coming soon)
Gcore Hosting
Go to Gcore Hosting →
Products:
  • VPS Hosting
  • Dedicated Servers
  • SSL Certificates

Share

  1. Learning

How to Display Available Network Interfaces in Linux

Published August 11, 2023 in Linux Tutorials Ubuntu

Understanding Linux network interfaces is vital for tasks like troubleshooting, network configuration, management, and optimization. Interfaces transmit data between a computer and network. By understanding how they work, users can enhance security and tailor the system to specific needs. This skill is foundational for both personal and business networks.

Listing of Network Interfaces in Linux

Here are some common ways to list available interfaces in Linux.

1. Using the ip Command. Displays the status and properties of all network interfaces. It’s a modern command for managing network settings and often preferred in current Linux distributions.

ip addr show

2. Using the nmcli Command.  ‘nmcli’  is a command-line client for NetworkManager, which is often used to manage network connections in modern Linux systems. This command displays the status of all network devices managed by NetworkManager.

nmcli device status

3. Listing the Contents of /sys/class/net Directory. This command lists the contents of the ‘/sys/class/net directory’, where information about all network interfaces is stored in the Linux kernel. It provides a straightforward way to see the names of all available interfaces.

ls /sys/class/net

4. Using the lshw Command. The ‘lshw’ (list hardware) command shows detailed information about the system’s hardware, and the ‘-class network’ option filters the output to only show network-related hardware. This command provides an in-depth view of the network interfaces, including physical details.

lshw -class network

5. Using the iwconfig Command.  Specifically for wireless interfaces, iwconfig displays information related to wireless networking.

iwconfig

6. Using the netstat Command. The ‘netstat’ command provides network statistics. The ‘-i’ option displays a table of all network interfaces.

netstat -i

7. Using the arp Command. The ‘arp’ command displays the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) cache, which can provide information about network interfaces and IP address associations.

arp -a

8. Using the route Command.  Displays the routing table, which can provide information about network interfaces.

route -n

9. Using the ss Command.  Offers statistics related to network sockets, indirectly providing insight into network interfaces.

ss -s

10. Using the ifconfig Command. This might be deprecated in some modern distributions. Interface Configuration is an older command used to configure and display network interface parameters. The -a option shows all interfaces, even those that are down. 

ifconfig -a

Understanding the various methods to display network interfaces in Linux is beneficial, whether you’re a casual user, a system administrator, or a software developer. This list of commands provides key insights into presenting available network connections within Linux.

Related articles

Error 404 Not Found | How to Fix It
Error 404 Not Found | How to Fix It

Error 404 is an HTTP status code that signifies a server’s inability to retrieve requested web content due to various…

How to Set Up Supervisor on Ubuntu
How to Set Up Supervisor on Ubuntu

Managing processes in a server environment can be a daunting task, but tools like Supervisor make it easier. Supervisor is…

How to Change TTL in Linux
How to Change TTL in Linux

Understanding and modifying a Linux system’s Time to Live (TTL) values can significantly enhance your network’s efficiency and reliability. The…

Related learning articles

Error 404 Not Found | How to Fix It
Error 404 Not Found | How to Fix It
Error 404 is an HTTP status code that signifies a server’s inability to retrieve requested web content due to various...
September 27, 2023 8 min read
How to Set Up Supervisor on Ubuntu
How to Set Up Supervisor on Ubuntu
Managing processes in a server environment can be a daunting task, but tools like Supervisor make it easier. Supervisor is...
September 27, 2023 3 min read
How to Change TTL in Linux
How to Change TTL in Linux
Understanding and modifying a Linux system’s Time to Live (TTL) values can significantly enhance your network’s efficiency and reliability. The...
September 26, 2023 3 min read

Subscribe to a useful newsletter

Favorable offers and important news once a month. No spam.