Ubuntu: 🌐 How to Set a Static IP Address on Ubuntu Using Netplan

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When setting up a Linux server – especially for web hosting, file sharing, or remote access via SSH – it’s often necessary to assign a static IP address. This ensures your server doesn’t get a new IP every time it reboots.

If you’re running Ubuntu 18.04 or later, you’re likely using Netplan for network configuration. This guide will walk you through assigning a static IP using Netplan step-by-step.

🧰 What You’ll Need

  • A running Ubuntu server
  • sudo privileges
  • Basic knowledge of your network settings (IP, subnet, gateway, DNS)

✏️ Step 1: Locate and Edit the Netplan Config File

Netplan’s config files are usually found in the /etc/netplan/ directory. Run the following to list the files:

ls /etc/netplan/

You’ll likely see something like:

01-netcfg.yaml

Now open that file with your favorite text editor (here we use nano):

sudo nano /etc/netplan/01-netcfg.yaml

🧾 Step 2: Configure Your Static IP

Replace the contents with something like this:

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    ens33:
      addresses:
        - 192.168.1.183/24
      gateway4: 192.168.1.1
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 192.168.1.1
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.168.1.1

🔍 Note: Replace ens33 with your actual network interface name. You can check that with:

ip link show

💾 Step 3: Apply the Configuration

Save and exit (Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X in nano), then apply the new settings:

sudo netplan apply

Optional but recommended:

sudo netplan try

This gives you 120 seconds to confirm the new config works. If not, it’ll revert automatically.

✅ Step 4: Verify Your IP Settings

Check your network interface with:

ip addr show

And check your routing table with:

ip route show

You should see:

  • Your new IP address (192.168.1.183)
  • A default route via 192.168.1.1

🎉 Conclusion

And that’s it! You’ve successfully configured a static IP address on Ubuntu using Netplan. This setup is persistent across reboots and works great for servers that need a reliable network identity.

If you found this helpful, consider bookmarking this post or sharing it with others who manage Linux servers! ✌️

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