Documentation / netlink / specs / wireguard.yaml


Based on kernel version 6.19. Page generated on 2026-02-12 08:38 EST.

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# SPDX-License-Identifier: ((GPL-2.0 WITH Linux-syscall-note) OR BSD-3-Clause)
---
name: wireguard
protocol: genetlink-legacy

doc: |
  **Netlink protocol to control WireGuard network devices.**
 
  The below enums and macros are for interfacing with WireGuard, using generic
  netlink, with family ``WG_GENL_NAME`` and version ``WG_GENL_VERSION``. It
  defines two commands: get and set. Note that while they share many common
  attributes, these two commands actually accept a slightly different set of
  inputs and outputs. These differences are noted under the individual
  attributes.
c-family-name: wg-genl-name
c-version-name: wg-genl-version
max-by-define: true

definitions:
  -
    name-prefix: wg-
    name: key-len
    type: const
    value: 32
  -
    name: --kernel-timespec
    type: struct
    header: linux/time_types.h
    members:
      -
        name: sec
        type: u64
        doc: Number of seconds, since UNIX epoch.
      -
        name: nsec
        type: u64
        doc: Number of nanoseconds, after the second began.
  -
    name: wgdevice-flags
    name-prefix: wgdevice-f-
    enum-name: wgdevice-flag
    type: flags
    entries:
      - replace-peers
  -
    name: wgpeer-flags
    name-prefix: wgpeer-f-
    enum-name: wgpeer-flag
    type: flags
    entries:
      - remove-me
      - replace-allowedips
      - update-only
  -
    name: wgallowedip-flags
    name-prefix: wgallowedip-f-
    enum-name: wgallowedip-flag
    type: flags
    entries:
      - remove-me

attribute-sets:
  -
    name: wgdevice
    enum-name: wgdevice-attribute
    name-prefix: wgdevice-a-
    attr-cnt-name: --wgdevice-a-last
    attributes:
      -
        name: unspec
        type: unused
        value: 0
      -
        name: ifindex
        type: u32
      -
        name: ifname
        type: string
        checks:
          max-len: 15
      -
        name: private-key
        type: binary
        doc: Set to all zeros to remove.
        display-hint: hex
        checks:
          exact-len: wg-key-len
      -
        name: public-key
        type: binary
        display-hint: hex
        checks:
          exact-len: wg-key-len
      -
        name: flags
        type: u32
        doc: |
          ``0`` or ``WGDEVICE_F_REPLACE_PEERS`` if all current peers should be
          removed prior to adding the list below.
        enum: wgdevice-flags
      -
        name: listen-port
        type: u16
        doc: Set as ``0`` to choose randomly.
      -
        name: fwmark
        type: u32
        doc: Set as ``0`` to disable.
      -
        name: peers
        type: indexed-array
        sub-type: nest
        nested-attributes: wgpeer
        doc: |
          The index/type parameter is unused on ``SET_DEVICE`` operations and is
          zero on ``GET_DEVICE`` operations.
  -
    name: wgpeer
    enum-name: wgpeer-attribute
    name-prefix: wgpeer-a-
    attr-cnt-name: --wgpeer-a-last
    attributes:
      -
        name: unspec
        type: unused
        value: 0
      -
        name: public-key
        type: binary
        display-hint: hex
        checks:
          exact-len: wg-key-len
      -
        name: preshared-key
        type: binary
        doc: Set as all zeros to remove.
        display-hint: hex
        checks:
          exact-len: wg-key-len
      -
        name: flags
        type: u32
        doc: |
          ``0`` and/or ``WGPEER_F_REMOVE_ME`` if the specified peer should not
          exist at the end of the operation, rather than added/updated and/or
          ``WGPEER_F_REPLACE_ALLOWEDIPS`` if all current allowed IPs of this
          peer should be removed prior to adding the list below and/or
          ``WGPEER_F_UPDATE_ONLY`` if the peer should only be set if it already
          exists.
        enum: wgpeer-flags
      -
        name: endpoint
        type: binary
        doc: struct sockaddr_in or struct sockaddr_in6
        checks:
          min-len: 16
      -
        name: persistent-keepalive-interval
        type: u16
        doc: Set as ``0`` to disable.
      -
        name: last-handshake-time
        type: binary
        struct: --kernel-timespec
        checks:
          exact-len: 16
      -
        name: rx-bytes
        type: u64
      -
        name: tx-bytes
        type: u64
      -
        name: allowedips
        type: indexed-array
        sub-type: nest
        nested-attributes: wgallowedip
        doc: |
          The index/type parameter is unused on ``SET_DEVICE`` operations and is
          zero on ``GET_DEVICE`` operations.
      -
        name: protocol-version
        type: u32
        doc: |
          Should not be set or used at all by most users of this API, as the
          most recent protocol will be used when this is unset. Otherwise,
          must be set to ``1``.
  -
    name: wgallowedip
    enum-name: wgallowedip-attribute
    name-prefix: wgallowedip-a-
    attr-cnt-name: --wgallowedip-a-last
    attributes:
      -
        name: unspec
        type: unused
        value: 0
      -
        name: family
        type: u16
        doc: IP family, either ``AF_INET`` or ``AF_INET6``.
      -
        name: ipaddr
        type: binary
        doc: Either ``struct in_addr`` or ``struct in6_addr``.
        display-hint: ipv4-or-v6
        checks:
          min-len: 4
      -
        name: cidr-mask
        type: u8
      -
        name: flags
        type: u32
        doc: |
          ``WGALLOWEDIP_F_REMOVE_ME`` if the specified IP should be removed;
          otherwise, this IP will be added if it is not already present.
        enum: wgallowedip-flags

operations:
  enum-name: wg-cmd
  name-prefix: wg-cmd-
  list:
    -
      name: get-device
      value: 0
      doc: |
        Retrieve WireGuard device
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
        The command should be called with one but not both of:
 
        - ``WGDEVICE_A_IFINDEX``
        - ``WGDEVICE_A_IFNAME``
 
        The kernel will then return several messages (``NLM_F_MULTI``). It is
        possible that all of the allowed IPs of a single peer will not fit
        within a single netlink message. In that case, the same peer will be
        written in the following message, except it will only contain
        ``WGPEER_A_PUBLIC_KEY`` and ``WGPEER_A_ALLOWEDIPS``. This may occur
        several times in a row for the same peer. It is then up to the receiver
        to coalesce adjacent peers. Likewise, it is possible that all peers will
        not fit within a single message. So, subsequent peers will be sent in
        following messages, except those will only contain ``WGDEVICE_A_IFNAME``
        and ``WGDEVICE_A_PEERS``. It is then up to the receiver to coalesce
        these messages to form the complete list of peers.
 
        Since this is an ``NLA_F_DUMP`` command, the final message will always
        be ``NLMSG_DONE``, even if an error occurs. However, this ``NLMSG_DONE``
        message contains an integer error code. It is either zero or a negative
        error code corresponding to the errno.
      attribute-set: wgdevice
      flags: [uns-admin-perm]

      dump:
        pre: wg-get-device-start
        post: wg-get-device-done
        request:
          attributes:
            - ifindex
            - ifname
        reply: &all-attrs
          attributes:
            - ifindex
            - ifname
            - private-key
            - public-key
            - flags
            - listen-port
            - fwmark
            - peers
    -
      name: set-device
      value: 1
      doc: |
        Set WireGuard device
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
        This command should be called with a wgdevice set, containing one but
        not both of ``WGDEVICE_A_IFINDEX`` and ``WGDEVICE_A_IFNAME``.
 
        It is possible that the amount of configuration data exceeds that of the
        maximum message length accepted by the kernel. In that case, several
        messages should be sent one after another, with each successive one
        filling in information not contained in the prior. Note that if
        ``WGDEVICE_F_REPLACE_PEERS`` is specified in the first message, it
        probably should not be specified in fragments that come after, so that
        the list of peers is only cleared the first time but appended after.
        Likewise for peers, if ``WGPEER_F_REPLACE_ALLOWEDIPS`` is specified in
        the first message of a peer, it likely should not be specified in
        subsequent fragments.
 
        If an error occurs, ``NLMSG_ERROR`` will reply containing an errno.
      attribute-set: wgdevice
      flags: [uns-admin-perm]

      do:
        request: *all-attrs