Ubuntu Netplan

ubuntu-netplan

Netplan is Ubuntu's network-configuration abstraction: declarative YAML under /etc/netplan/ that netplan renders to a backend — systemd-networkd (servers, the default) or NetworkManager (desktop) — and uses to bring the network up. This skill is authoring-led (produce correct YAML from a description) with a strong validation/debug path, aimed at on-prem / air-gapped Ubuntu Server LTS.

Netplan is also the shared network substrate for the sibling skills: cloud-init's network-config v2 is netplan format, and an autoinstall network: block is netplan v2. See Boundaries at the end.

Authoring workflow

1. Confirm target & renderer. Server → renderer: networkd (the default). Desktop/Wi-Fi → renderer: NetworkManager. Check the running version with netplan info (24.04 ships ~1.0.x, 26.04 tracks 1.2.x — see version notes).
2. Pick the device type(s): ethernets, bonds, bridges, vlans, vrfs, tunnels, dummy-devices, virtual-ethernets, wifis, modems. Stack them bottom-up: ethernets → bond → vlans-on-bond → bridges-on-bond/vlan.
3. Write the YAML under /etc/netplan/, choosing a filename that orders correctly (see precedence). Use 2-space indentation, never tabs.
4. Validate without applying: netplan generate (fails loudly on errors).
5. Apply safely. On a remote/SSH host use netplan try (auto-rollback), never a blind netplan apply — see "Apply safely".
6. Verify: netplan status --all, ip addr, ip route, and reachability.

The envelope

Every file is wrapped in:

network:
  version: 2                 # only 2 is accepted (v1 does not exist for netplan)
  renderer: networkd         # default if omitted; or NetworkManager
  ethernets: { ... }
  bonds: { ... }
  # ...other device types

File model & precedence (a real source of bugs)

• Files live in /etc/netplan/*.yaml (also /run/netplan/ > /etc/netplan/ > /lib/netplan/ by directory priority).
• Same filename in a higher-priority dir fully replaces the lower one.
• Different filenames are merged in lexicographic order of the basename, across all directories. So 20-foo.yaml overrides 10-bar.yaml even if 10-bar.yaml sits in a higher-priority directory.
• Per-key merge: scalars → later wins; sequences are concatenated, not replaced (two files each listing addresses: will accumulate both — a classic "why do I have an extra IP?" trap); mappings → merged key by key.
• Conventional files commonly present: 50-cloud-init.yaml (written by cloud-init), 00-installer-config.yaml (Subiquity), 90-NM-<uuid>.yaml (NetworkManager desktop). Use a high number like 99-*.yaml for hand overrides.
• Permissions: netplan only warns if a file is group/other-readable; it does not refuse or auto-fix. YAML can hold Wi-Fi/WireGuard/EAP secrets, so chmod 600 /etc/netplan/*.yaml, root-owned. Files netplan writes itself (netplan set) are already 0600.

Quick patterns (the on-prem bread-and-butter)

Static IPv4 server (no DHCP — the air-gapped default):

network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    enp1s0:
      dhcp4: false
      dhcp6: false
      addresses: [10.0.10.20/24]
      routes:
        - to: default          # NOT the deprecated gateway4:
          via: 10.0.10.1
      nameservers:
        addresses: [10.0.10.2, 10.0.10.3]
        search: [corp.internal]

Bond (802.3ad / LACP):

network:
  version: 2
  bonds:
    bond0:
      interfaces: [enp1s0, enp2s0]
      parameters:
        mode: 802.3ad
        mii-monitor-interval: 1000     # no suffix = milliseconds
        lacp-rate: fast
      addresses: [10.0.10.20/24]
      routes: [{to: default, via: 10.0.10.1}]

Bridge for a KVM/LXD host (put the host IP on the bridge so guests attach):

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    enp1s0: {dhcp4: false}
  bridges:
    br0:
      interfaces: [enp1s0]
      parameters: {stp: true, forward-delay: 4}
      addresses: [10.0.10.20/24]
      routes: [{to: default, via: 10.0.10.1}]
      nameservers: {addresses: [10.0.10.2]}

VLAN:

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    enp1s0: {dhcp4: false}
  vlans:
    vlan40:
      id: 40
      link: enp1s0
      addresses: [10.0.40.20/24]

For the full schema (every device type and property), the bond/bridge parameter tables, and a complete bonded-VLAN-bridge virtualization-host config, read references/schema.md and references/examples.md.

CLI essentials

--debug is a global flag placed before the subcommand: netplan --debug apply.

Apply safely (don't lock yourself out)

netplan apply can drop the SSH session. Prefer:

netplan generate            # validate first
netplan try --timeout 120   # applies, then rolls back unless confirmed at the prompt

netplan apply also does not remove stale virtual devices (a bond/bridge removed from YAML lingers until ip link delete dev <name> or reboot). See references/cli-and-debugging.md for the --state backup-diff workaround.

Validation & debugging (fast path)

1. netplan generate — catches YAML/schema errors with a location.
2. netplan get — confirm the merged result (remember sequences concatenate across files).
3. netplan --debug apply — see backend invocation.
4. Inspect the actual emitted backend config in /run/systemd/network/10-netplan-*.
5. networkctl status <iface> and netplan status --diff — carrier, routes, DNS, system-vs-YAML divergence.

Common "applied but no connectivity": off-subnet gateway needs on-link: true; duplicate default-route metrics; a stale virtual device from a prior apply; renderer mismatch. Full playbook in references/cli-and-debugging.md.

Air-gapped / on-prem notes

• Static everything: set dhcp4: false, dhcp6: false; for a truly static link also accept-ra: false and link-local: [] to silence autoconfiguration.
• Point nameservers.addresses at internal resolvers and set search: to the local domain. Set search: [] on bridges that should not inherit domains.
• Mark disconnected/optional NICs optional: true (networkd) so boot doesn't wait ~2 minutes for carrier.
• Pin predictable names with match: {macaddress: ...} + set-name:. Match by MAC (not name) whenever setting mtu, wakeonlan, macaddress, or offloads — name-only matching races udev renaming on networkd.

Boundaries (when to hand off to a sibling skill)

• The network block of an autoinstall config is netplan v2. When working inside an autoinstall: document, author the network: block with this skill, but use the ubuntu-autoinstall skill for the surrounding install schema.
• cloud-init network-config v2 is netplan format; cloud-init writes /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml on first boot. To stop cloud-init managing the network and own /etc/netplan directly, drop /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.d/99-disable-network-config.cfg containing network: {config: disabled}. For first-boot/cloud-config concerns use the ubuntu-cloud-init skill.

Reference files

• references/schema.md — full YAML schema: all device types, every addressing property, complete bond/bridge/vlan/tunnel/vrf parameter tables. (Has a TOC.)
• references/examples.md — copy-paste-ready realistic server configs (static, multi-NIC multi-gateway, bond+VLAN+bridge VM host, source routing, MAC-matching/rename).
• references/cli-and-debugging.md — full CLI reference, the debugging playbook, and 24.04-vs-26.04 version notes.