---
name: "ifdown"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "ifupdown2"
version: "3.0.0-1.3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ifdown"
---

# ifdown(8)

network interface management commands

## NAME

ifup - network interface management commands

## NAME

**ifup** - bring a network interface up

**ifdown** - take a network interface down

## SYNOPSIS

- **ifup \[-h\] \[-a\] \[-v\] \[-d\] \[--allow CLASS\] \[--with-depends\]**

  **\[-X EXCLUDEPATS\] \[-f\] \[-n\] \[-s\] \[--print-dependency {list,dot}\]** **\[IFACE \[IFACE ...\]\]**

- **ifdown \[-h\] \[-a\] \[-v\] \[-d\] \[--allow CLASS\] \[--with-depends\]**

  **\[-X EXCLUDEPATS\] \[-f\] \[-n\] \[--print-dependency {list,dot}\]** **\[IFACE \[IFACE ...\]\]**

## DESCRIPTION

**ifup** and **ifdown** commands can be used to configure (or, respectively, deconfigure) network interfaces based on interface definitions in the config file ifupdown2.conf (defaults to **/etc/network/interfaces/** file).

**[ifquery(8)](/ifquery/8.md)** maybe used in conjunction with **ifup** and **ifdown** commands to query and validate applied/running configuration.

**ifup** always works on the current **[interfaces(5)](/interfaces/5.md)** file defined in ifupdown2.conf (default **/etc/network/interfaces**). **ifdown** works on the last applied interface configuration.

**ifup** on an already ifup'ed interface will re-apply the configuration, skipping already applied configuration wherever possible. In many cases where config commands are idempotent, you will see that ifup/ifdown will reapply the config even if the interface already has that config.

**ifup** and **ifdown** understands interface dependency order.

For logical interfaces like vlans, bridges, bonds, **ifup** creates the interface and **ifdown** deletes the interface. Use **--admin-state** option if you only want to administratively bring the interface up/down.

When **ifup** and **ifdown** are used with interfaces on command line, they must be have a **iface** section in the **[interfaces(5)](/interfaces/5.md)** file.

## OPTIONS

positional arguments:

**IFACE**  interface list separated by spaces. **IFACE** list and **'-a'** argument are mutually exclusive.

optional arguments:

- **-h, --help**

  show this help message and exit

- **-a, --all**

  process all interfaces marked "auto"

- **-v, --verbose**

  verbose

- **-d, --debug**

  output debug info

- **--allow** *CLASS*

  ignore non-"allow-CLASS" interfaces

- **-w, --with-depends**

  run with all dependent interfaces. This option is redundant when -a is specified. When '-a' is specified, interfaces are always executed in dependency order.

- **-X** *EXCLUDEPATS,* **--exclude** *EXCLUDEPATS*

  Exclude interfaces from the list of interfaces to operate on. Can be specified multiple times If the excluded interface has dependent interfaces, (e.g. a bridge or a bond with multiple enslaved interfaces) then each dependent interface must be specified in order to be excluded.

- **-i** *INTERFACESFILE,* **--interfaces** *INTERFACESFILE*

  Uses interfaces file instead of default defined in ifupdown2.conf (default /etc/network/interfaces). Also in ifupdown2.conf, users are not allowed to specify their own interfaces file unless disable\_cli\_interfacesfile is set to 0 (default is 1).

- **-t {native,json}, --interfaces-format {native,json}**

  interfaces file format

- **-f, --force**

  force run all operations

- **-n, --no-act**

  print out what would happen, but don't do it

- **-p, --print-dependency {list,dot}**

  print iface dependency in list or dot format

- **-m, --admin-state, --no-scripts**

  don't run any addon modules/scripts. Only bring the interface administratively up/down

- **-u, --use-current-config**

  By default ifdown looks at the saved state for interfaces to bring down. This option allows ifdown to look at the current interfaces file. Useful when your state file is corrupted or you want down to use the latest from the interfaces file

- **-s, --syntax-check**

  Only run the interfaces file parser

## EXAMPLES

\# bringing up all interfaces

**ifup -a**

\# bringing up interface list

**ifup swp1 swp2**

\# bringing up interface with its dependents

**ifup br0 --with-depends**

\# bringing down all interfaces

**ifdown -a**

\# bringing down a single interface

**ifdown swp1**

\# excluding interfaces using -X option

**ifdown -X eth0 -a**

**ifup -X eth0 -a**

**ifdown -X eth0 -X lo -a**

\# using verbose -v option to see what is going on

**ifup -v -a**

\# using debug -d option to see more of what is going on

**ifup -d -a**

\# ignore errors

**ifup -a -f**

**ifdown -a -f**

\# run ifdown and ifup on all interfaces using service command/init script

**service networking restart**

\# run ifup on all interfaces using service command/init script

**service networking start**

\# ifdown on all interfaces using service command/init script

**service networking stop**

\# To run ifup/ifdown on only interfaces that changed see **[ifreload(8)](/ifreload/8.md)**

## SEE ALSO

[ifquery(8)](/ifquery/8.md), [ifreload(8)](/ifreload/8.md), [interfaces(5)](/interfaces/5.md), [ifupdown-addons-interfaces(5)](/ifupdown-addons-interfaces/5.md)

## AUTHOR

Roopa Prabhu \<roopa@cumulusnetworks.com\>

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2014 Cumulus Networks, Inc.  All rights reserved.