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Debian Networking

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Set a static IP

With the CLI

First, get your network interface name by running ip a. Look for a line that starts with eno1, ens18, eth01, etc. This interface should have an IP address on your subnet (i.e. for a 192.168.1.0/24 network, you might see an address like 192.168.1.102). Note the interface name.

Create a backup of the /etc/network/interfaces file (cp /etc/network/interfaces /etc/network/interfaces.orig), then edit the file with nano, (neo)vi(m), or some other terminal editor. Find your interface name in the file (referencing the interface you noted above) and change it to a static connection, with your desired IP address, gateway, and DNS nameservers. Replace any xxx values below with your own networking values.

Set static IP on Debian
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# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).

source /etc/network/interfaces.d/*

# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# The primary network interface
allow-hotplug ens18
iface ens18 inet static
    address 192.168.1.xxx/24
    gateway 192.168.1.1
    nameservers 192.168.1.xxx,1.1.1.1,1.0.0.1

Restart your machine, or run one of the following (if you do not have systemd, use the 2nd method with ifup and ifdown):

  • Restart systemd service: sudo systemctl restart networking
  • Use the ifup and ifdown utility:
    • sudo ifdown <eth0, eno1, ens18, ...> (use your interface name, do not copy the <angle brackets>)
    • sudo ifup <eth0, eno1, ens18>

With a GUI

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