Nftables Knowledge Patch

nftables Knowledge Patch

Use this skill when writing, reviewing, generating, loading, or troubleshooting nftables rulesets, JSON commands, libnftables integrations, monitoring tools, or source builds.

How to apply this skill

1. Identify the nftables userspace version, kernel version, and table families involved.
2. Read the breaking and compatibility checks below before changing syntax or serialized output.
3. Open the topic reference that matches the task.
4. Validate generated rules with the real parser and, where safe, the target kernel; some expression support depends on both userspace and kernel.
5. Treat normalized text and JSON listings as interfaces that can change shape.
6. Preserve explicit protocol dependencies before raw or encapsulated payload access.

Reference index

Breaking and compatibility-critical changes

Expect JSON arrays for flags

Current JSON output preserves one-item arrays:

{ "flags": ["interval"] }

One intervening release emitted a single flag as a scalar. Consumers that read saved or live output across releases should accept both forms, but generators should emit the array form. See JSON, monitoring, and automation.

Keep XOR and long binary expressions within evaluator limits

The right operand of XOR must be a constant. Any one expression may chain at most 16 binary operations. Split generated computations that exceed the limit. Compound assignment expressions are supported, but require a sufficiently new kernel:

ct mark set ct mark & 0xffff0000 | meta mark & 0xffff

Read Rules and expressions before emitting computed assignments.

Preserve raw-payload protocol guards

Raw payload selectors do not create or validate protocol dependencies. Establish the context first:

meta l4proto { tcp, udp } @th,16,16 { 53, 80 }

Named meta l4proto sets can satisfy that dependency. For Geneve and VXLAN, also constrain the outer UDP traffic before inspecting inner fields.

Rebuild assumptions about include paths

Libnftables does not restore its default include directory after an embedder replaces the include search path. Add every required directory explicitly. Ruleset include globs may legitimately match nothing, ignore dotfiles, and load matches in deterministic C-locale order.

Treat systemd installation as opt-in

The upstream static-ruleset unit is installed only when its unit directory is enabled. Ancillary systemd files are not installed when the service file is omitted:

./configure --with-unitdir

Packaging automation must request the unit deliberately.

Remove DECnet-specific rules

DECnet support is gone. Protocol-specific DECnet constructs have no direct forward-compatible path and must be redesigned rather than copied unchanged.

High-value rule features

Test route existence with FIB

fib ... check yields exists or missing and works in a direct match, verdict map, or statement map:

fib daddr . iif check missing
fib daddr check vmap { missing : drop, exists : accept }

Overnight meta hour ranges may cross midnight, and fib oifname carries the interface-name datatype.

Use symbolic MPTCP subtypes

tcp option mptcp subtype accepts symbolic subtype names such as mp-capable, mp-join, dss, add-addr, and mp-fastclose. It can also type a named set.

Update bitfields directly

Bitfield payload statements accept binary updates:

ip dscp set ip dscp | 0x1

The optimizer can merge rules that share a bitmask expression into a set-valued comparison. It also understands redirect and masquerade, while leaving NAT statements containing variables untouched.

High-value set and map features

Type queue and conntrack object maps

A typeof map may use queue as its value type, allowing a concatenated packet key to select an NFQUEUE number. Object-reference maps can select conntrack helpers, timeouts, or expectations:

map helpers {
    type inet_service : ct_helper
    elements = { 21 : "ftp-standard" }
}
ct helper set tcp dport map @helpers

Bound packet-path updates

Sets updated from rules need explicit bounded storage:

set recent_sources {
    type ipv4_addr
    flags dynamic, timeout
    timeout 5m
    gc-interval 30s
    size 65536
}

Do not combine dynamic with interval. Expired entries still occupy capacity until garbage collection.

Preserve remaining lifetime during replication

Specify both timeout and expires when restoring an element whose remaining lifetime matters:

add element inet filter recent_sources {
    192.0.2.10 timeout 1h expires 12m
}

reset rules, reset set, and reset map clear attached state without removing their containers.

High-value lifecycle and hook features

Prefer idempotent destroy for cleanup

destroy works for tables, chains, rules, sets, maps, elements, flowtables, and named stateful objects, and succeeds when the target is already absent:

destroy table inet stale
destroy element inet filter blocked { 192.0.2.1 }

Use it for convergent cleanup. Keep delete when absence should be reported.

Manage table ownership and dormancy

The owner table flag prevents other processes from modifying a table and normally removes it when the owner exits. Add persist to retain the orphaned table. dormant unregisters base chains until the existing table is added again without that flag.

Use hook-device wildcards deliberately

Ingress and egress base chains and flowtables may use a trailing * in an interface name on supporting kernels. list hooks shows actual attachments. Existing inet ingress chains can update their device membership.

Remember packet order:

• ingress: network taps, tc ingress, then netfilter ingress;
• egress: netfilter egress, then tc egress.

A tc-ingress redirect skips both netfilter ingress and netfilter egress. A netfilter-ingress redirect remains subject to netfilter egress.

Treat rule indexes as snapshots

Indexes are zero-based and resolved to handles in userspace. Concurrent rule changes can alter the effective position. At a location, add places a rule after it and insert places a rule before it.

Validation checklist

• Confirm kernel support before using compound bitwise assignment expressions or hook-device wildcards.
• Guard raw transport and inner-header reads with explicit outer protocol matches.
• Keep XOR right operands constant and binary-operation chains within the fixed limit.
• Give packet-updated sets dynamic, timeout, size, and a practical gc-interval.
• Accept both historical scalar and current array forms when consuming JSON flags.
• Treat normalized listings as semantically equivalent even when they add quoting, counts, default bursts, dependencies, or one-line complex elements.
• Check the host route_localnet sysctl when local-route behavior matters.
• Use handles rather than indexes when concurrent mutation is possible.
• Add required include directories explicitly in libnftables embedders.
• Verify release archives with the release-specific signature and digest.