---
name: "rdomain"
section: "4"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/rdomain"
---

# rdomain(4)

routing tables and routing domains

## NAME

**rtable**, **rdomain** – routing tables and routing domains

## DESCRIPTION

The traditional kernel routing system had a single table for routes and allowed only non-conflicting IP address assignments. The **rtable** feature allows multiple lookup tables for routes. The **rdomain** feature provides a way to logically segment a router between network paths.

### Routing tables

Each **rtable** contains routes for outbound network packets. A routing domain can contain more than one **rtable**. Multiple routing tables are commonly used for Policy Based Routing.

The highest ID that can be used for an **rtable** is 255.

### Routing domains

Each **rdomain** is a completely separate address space in the kernel. An IP address (e.g. 10.0.0.1/16) can be assigned in more than one **rdomain**, but cannot be assigned more than once per **rdomain**. An interface belongs to one and only one **rdomain**. The interface's **rdomain** determines which rdomain an incoming packet will be in. Virtual interfaces do not need to belong to the same **rdomain** as the parent. Each **rdomain** contains at least one routing table.

Network traffic within an **rdomain** stays within the current routing domain. [pf(4)](/pf/4.md) is used to move traffic from one **rdomain** to a different **rdomain**.

When an interface is assigned to a non-existent **rdomain**, it gets created automatically. At the same time an **rtable** with the same ID and a [lo(4)](/lo/4.md) interface with a unit number matching the ID get created and assigned to the new domain.

An rdomain can be deleted by removing all interfaces from it and then destroying the [lo(4)](/lo/4.md) interface with the unit number matching the ID.

The highest ID that can be used for an **rdomain** is 255.

## EXAMPLES

Put em0 and lo4 in rdomain 4:

```
# ifconfig em0 rdomain 4
# ifconfig lo4 inet 127.0.0.1/8
# ifconfig em0 192.0.2.100/24
```

List all rdomains with associated interfaces and routing tables:

```
$ netstat -R
```

Set a default route and localhost reject route within rtable 4:

```
# route -T4 -qn add -net 127 127.0.0.1 -reject
# route -T4 -n add default 192.0.2.1
```

Start [sshd(8)](/sshd/8.md) in rtable 4:

```
# route -T4 exec /usr/sbin/sshd
```

Display the routing table used by each process:

```
$ ps aux -o rtable
```

Display the routing table of the current process:

```
$ id -R
```

A [pf.conf(5)](/pf.conf/5.md) snippet to block incoming port 80, and nat-to and move to rtable 0 on interface em1:

```
block in on rdomain 4 proto tcp to any port 80
match out on rdomain 4 to !$internal_net nat-to (em1) rtable 0
```

Delete rdomain 4 again:

```
# ifconfig em0 -rdomain
# ifconfig lo4 destroy
```

## SEE ALSO

[id(1)](/id/1.md), [netstat(1)](/netstat/1.md), [ps(1)](/ps/1.md), [lo(4)](/lo/4.md), [route(4)](/route/4.md), [pf.conf(5)](/pf.conf/5.md), [ifconfig(8)](/ifconfig/8.md), [route(8)](/route/8.md)

## HISTORY

OpenBSD support for **rdomain** first appeared in OpenBSD 4.9 and IPv6 support first appeared in OpenBSD 5.5.

## CAVEATS

No tool is available to assign more than one rtable to an rdomain other than to the default one (0).

An rtable cannot be deleted. Deleting an rdomain will move its rtable into the default rdomain.