birdc
Control client for the BIRD routing daemon
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
birdc [options] [command]
DESCRIPTION
birdc is the client for the BIRD routing daemon. It connects to the BIRD daemon via a control socket and allows querying routing information, managing protocols, and reconfiguring the daemon.The tool is the primary interface for monitoring and controlling BIRD.
PARAMETERS
-s socket
Control socket path-r
Restricted mode
CONFIGURATION
/etc/bird.conf
Main configuration file for the BIRD routing daemon that birdc controls. Distributions such as Debian use /etc/bird/bird.conf instead. The default control socket is /run/bird/bird.ctl (older builds use /var/run/bird/bird.ctl).
COMMON COMMANDS
show protocols [all] [name]
Display routing protocols statusshow route [all]
Display routing tableshow interfaces
Show network interfacesshow status
Show daemon statusconfigure [file]
Reload configurationenable protocol
Enable protocoldisable protocol
Disable protocolrestart protocol
Restart protocoldown
Shut down BIRD daemon
WORKFLOW
birdc show protocols
# Detailed protocol info
birdc show protocols all bgp1
# Show routing table
birdc show route
# Show specific route
birdc show route for 192.0.2.0/24
# Reload config
birdc configure
# Restart BGP session
birdc restart bgp1
INTERACTIVE MODE
birdc
bird> show protocols
bird> show route all
bird> exit
INSTALL
CAVEATS
Requires BIRD daemon running. Socket permissions may restrict access. Some commands need privileges. Configuration errors can disrupt routing. Changes are immediate (no confirmation).
HISTORY
birdc has been part of the BIRD suite since its creation in 1998 as the control interface for the routing daemon. BIRD was developed by Ondrej Filip, Pavel Machek, and Martin Mares, and is now maintained by CZ.NIC Labs. Up to BIRD 1.x a separate birdc6 client controlled the IPv6 daemon; BIRD 2.x merged IPv4 and IPv6 into a single daemon, so birdc alone now manages both.