How to configure static IP on Ubuntu with Netplan

Introduction

Netplan is the default network configuration tool for Ubuntu Server 18.04 and newer. It uses YAML configuration files to manage network interfaces, replacing the older /etc/network/interfaces method.

Static IP addresses are essential for servers to ensure they’re always reachable at the same address, which is critical for services like web servers, databases, and SSH access.

What you’ll learn:

Check current network configuration
Configure static IP with Netplan
Handle cloud-init network configuration
Test and apply Netplan changes safely
Troubleshoot common networking issues

When to use static IPs:

Servers (web, database, file servers)
Infrastructure services (DNS, DHCP)
Remote access (SSH, RDP)
Docker hosts
Any service that needs a consistent IP

Prerequisites

Ubuntu Server (18.04 LTS or newer)
sudo/root access
Network information:
- Desired static IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.110)
- Subnet mask / CIDR notation (e.g., /24 for 255.255.255.0)
- Gateway IP (usually your router, e.g., 192.168.1.1)
- DNS servers (e.g., 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4)
Physical or console access recommended (in case network connection is lost)

Part 1: Check Current Network Configuration

Step 1: Find Your Network Interface Name

ip a

Example output:

1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN group default qlen 1000
    inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo

2: ens18: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc fq_codel state UP group default qlen 1000
    link/ether bc:24:11:2e:7f:90 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
    altname enp0s18
    inet 192.168.1.81/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic ens18

Key information:

Interface name: ens18 (yours may be different: eth0, enp0s3, etc.)
Current IP: 192.168.1.81
Subnet: /24 (255.255.255.0)

Step 2: Check Current Gateway

ip route show

Example output:

default via 192.168.1.1 dev ens18 proto dhcp src 192.168.1.81 metric 100
192.168.1.0/24 dev ens18 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.1.81

Key information:

Gateway: 192.168.1.1 (the via address on the default route)

Step 3: Check Current DNS Servers

resolvectl status

Or:

cat /etc/resolv.conf

Example output:

nameserver 192.168.1.1
nameserver 8.8.8.8

Part 2: Locate Netplan Configuration Files

Check for Existing Netplan Files

ls -la /etc/netplan/

Common configurations:

Cloud-init setup (Proxmox VMs, cloud providers):

/etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

Standard setup (manual installations):

/etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml
/etc/netplan/01-netcfg.yaml

Determine Configuration Type

If you see 50-cloud-init.yaml:

Your system uses cloud-init for network configuration
Follow Method A: Cloud-Init Configuration below

If you see 00-installer-config.yaml or similar:

Standard Netplan configuration
Follow Method B: Standard Netplan Configuration below

Part 3: Configure Static IP

Method A: Cloud-Init Configuration (Proxmox VMs)

Cloud-init configurations require special handling to prevent cloud-init from overwriting your changes.

Step 1: Backup Existing Configuration

sudo cp /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml.backup

Step 2: View Current Configuration

cat /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

Example current content:

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    ens18:
      dhcp4: true

Step 3: Edit Cloud-Init Configuration

sudo nano /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

Replace with static IP configuration:

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    ens18:
      dhcp4: no
      addresses:
        - 192.168.1.110/24
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.168.1.1
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 8.8.8.8
          - 8.8.4.4

Customize these values:

ens18: Your actual interface name (from ip a)
192.168.1.110/24: Your desired IP and subnet
192.168.1.1: Your gateway IP
8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4: Your DNS servers (Google DNS shown here)

Save and exit (Ctrl+X, Y, Enter in nano).

Step 4: Prevent Cloud-Init from Overwriting

Create a cloud-init configuration to disable network management:

sudo nano /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.d/99-disable-network-config.cfg

Add this content:

network: {config: disabled}

Save and exit.

This tells cloud-init to not manage network configuration.

Method B: Standard Netplan Configuration

Step 1: Backup Existing Configuration

sudo cp /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml.backup

(Adjust filename to match your actual config file)

Step 2: Edit Netplan Configuration

sudo nano /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml

Replace with static IP configuration:

network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    ens18:
      dhcp4: no
      addresses:
        - 192.168.1.110/24
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.168.1.1
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 8.8.8.8
          - 8.8.4.4

Save and exit.

Part 4: Test and Apply Configuration

Step 1: Validate Netplan Syntax

Before applying, check for YAML syntax errors:

sudo netplan generate

If successful, no output is shown.

If there are errors:

Error in network definition: invalid YAML at /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml line 5 column 6

Fix syntax errors (usually indentation issues in YAML) and run netplan generate again.

Step 2: Test Configuration (Recommended)

sudo netplan try

What this does:

Applies the configuration temporarily
Waits 120 seconds for confirmation
Automatically reverts if you don’t confirm

Expected output:

Warning: Stopping systemd-networkd.service, but it can still be activated by:
  systemd-networkd.socket
Do you want to keep these settings?

Press ENTER before the timeout to accept the new configuration

Changes will revert in 120 seconds

Test the connection:

Open a new SSH session to the new IP address:
```
ssh [email protected]
```
If the new IP works, press Enter in the original terminal to accept changes
If it doesn’t work, wait 120 seconds for automatic revert, or press Ctrl+C to cancel immediately

Step 3: Apply Configuration Permanently

If netplan try worked, or if you’re confident in your configuration:

sudo netplan apply

Expected output:

(No output means success)

Part 5: Verify Configuration

Check IP Address

ip a show ens18

Expected output:

2: ens18: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc fq_codel state UP group default qlen 1000
    inet 192.168.1.110/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global ens18

Verify the IP address matches your configuration.

Check Gateway

ip route show

Expected output:

default via 192.168.1.1 dev ens18 proto static
192.168.1.0/24 dev ens18 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.1.110

Check DNS

resolvectl status

Expected output:

Link 2 (ens18)
  Current DNS Server: 8.8.8.8
         DNS Servers: 8.8.8.8
                      8.8.4.4

Test Internet Connectivity

ping -c 4 8.8.8.8

Test DNS resolution:

ping -c 4 google.com

Both should work.

Troubleshooting

No Network After Applying Configuration

Cause: Syntax error or wrong configuration values

Solution:

Via console (Proxmox GUI, physical access, or KVM):

# Restore backup
sudo cp /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml.backup /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

# Apply original configuration
sudo netplan apply

Check syntax:
```
sudo netplan generate
```
Fix errors and try again

DNS Not Working

Cause: DNS servers not configured or unreachable

Solution:

# Test if DNS servers are reachable
ping -c 2 8.8.8.8

# If not, use your router as DNS
sudo nano /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

# Change nameservers to:
nameservers:
  addresses:
    - 192.168.1.1  # Your router

Apply changes:

sudo netplan apply

Cannot Reach Gateway

Cause: Wrong gateway IP or subnet mismatch

Solution:

Verify gateway IP (should be your router’s IP)
Verify subnet matches your network (usually /24)
Example: If your IP is 192.168.1.110/24, gateway should be 192.168.1.1 (or another IP in 192.168.1.0/24 range)

Changes Don’t Apply / Cloud-Init Overwrites

Cause: Cloud-init managing network configuration

Solution:

Disable cloud-init network management:

sudo nano /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.d/99-disable-network-config.cfg

Add:

network: {config: disabled}

Reboot:

sudo reboot

netplan try Times Out

Cause: Lost network connectivity during test

Solution:

Wait 120 seconds for automatic revert, or use console access to restore backup configuration.

Advanced Configuration Examples

Multiple IP Addresses

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    ens18:
      dhcp4: no
      addresses:
        - 192.168.1.110/24  # Primary IP
        - 192.168.1.111/24  # Secondary IP
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.168.1.1
      nameservers:
        addresses: [8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4]

IPv6 Configuration

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    ens18:
      dhcp4: no
      dhcp6: no
      addresses:
        - 192.168.1.110/24
        - 2001:db8::10/64
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.168.1.1
        - to: default
          via: 2001:db8::1
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 8.8.8.8
          - 2001:4860:4860::8888  # Google IPv6 DNS

Custom DNS Search Domain

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    ens18:
      dhcp4: no
      addresses:
        - 192.168.1.110/24
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.168.1.1
      nameservers:
        search: [local.lan, home.local]
        addresses: [192.168.1.1, 8.8.8.8]

Best Practices

Always backup configuration files before editing
Use netplan try to test changes safely
Document your IP scheme (spreadsheet of assigned IPs)
Use DHCP reservations instead of static IPs when possible (configure on router)
Keep DNS consistent across all servers
Test after every change:
- IP connectivity
- Gateway reachability
- DNS resolution
- Internet access

Next Steps

Now that you have a static IP configured:

Update SSH config on your local machine with the new IP
Update firewall rules if using UFW
Configure services (web server, database) to use the static IP
Set up reverse DNS if needed (PTR records)
Document the IP assignment in your network inventory

How to Create a VM in Proxmox
How to Set Up SSH on Ubuntu Server
How to Install Docker on Ubuntu Server

Last updated: November 2025

Introduction#

Prerequisites#

Part 1: Check Current Network Configuration#

Step 1: Find Your Network Interface Name#

Step 2: Check Current Gateway#

Step 3: Check Current DNS Servers#

Part 2: Locate Netplan Configuration Files#

Check for Existing Netplan Files#

Determine Configuration Type#

Part 3: Configure Static IP#

Method A: Cloud-Init Configuration (Proxmox VMs)#

Step 1: Backup Existing Configuration#

Step 2: View Current Configuration#

Step 3: Edit Cloud-Init Configuration#

Step 4: Prevent Cloud-Init from Overwriting#

Method B: Standard Netplan Configuration#

Step 1: Backup Existing Configuration#

Step 2: Edit Netplan Configuration#

Part 4: Test and Apply Configuration#

Step 1: Validate Netplan Syntax#

Step 2: Test Configuration (Recommended)#

Step 3: Apply Configuration Permanently#

Part 5: Verify Configuration#

Check IP Address#

Check Gateway#

Check DNS#

Test Internet Connectivity#

Troubleshooting#

No Network After Applying Configuration#

DNS Not Working#

Cannot Reach Gateway#

Changes Don’t Apply / Cloud-Init Overwrites#

netplan try Times Out#

Advanced Configuration Examples#

Multiple IP Addresses#

IPv6 Configuration#

Custom DNS Search Domain#

Best Practices#

Next Steps#

Related Guides#

Introduction

Prerequisites

Part 1: Check Current Network Configuration

Step 1: Find Your Network Interface Name

Step 2: Check Current Gateway

Step 3: Check Current DNS Servers

Part 2: Locate Netplan Configuration Files

Check for Existing Netplan Files

Determine Configuration Type

Part 3: Configure Static IP

Method A: Cloud-Init Configuration (Proxmox VMs)

Step 1: Backup Existing Configuration

Step 2: View Current Configuration

Step 3: Edit Cloud-Init Configuration

Step 4: Prevent Cloud-Init from Overwriting

Method B: Standard Netplan Configuration

Step 1: Backup Existing Configuration

Step 2: Edit Netplan Configuration

Part 4: Test and Apply Configuration

Step 1: Validate Netplan Syntax

Step 2: Test Configuration (Recommended)

Step 3: Apply Configuration Permanently

Part 5: Verify Configuration

Check IP Address

Check Gateway

Check DNS

Test Internet Connectivity

Troubleshooting

No Network After Applying Configuration

DNS Not Working

Cannot Reach Gateway

Changes Don’t Apply / Cloud-Init Overwrites

netplan try Times Out

Advanced Configuration Examples

Multiple IP Addresses

IPv6 Configuration

Custom DNS Search Domain

Best Practices

Next Steps

Related Guides