---
title: NETPLAN-APPLY
section: 8
author:
- Daniel Axtens (<daniel.axtens@canonical.com>)
...

## NAME

`netplan-apply` - apply configuration from Netplan YAML files to a running system

## SYNOPSIS

  **`netplan`** \[*--debug*\] **apply** **-h**|**--help**

  **`netplan`** \[*--debug*\] **apply**

## DESCRIPTION

**`netplan apply`** applies the current Netplan configuration to a running system.

The process works as follows:

 1. The back-end configuration is generated from Netplan YAML files.

 2. The appropriate back ends (**`systemd-networkd`**(8) or
    **`NetworkManager`**(8)) are invoked to bring up configured interfaces.

 3. **`netplan apply`** iterates through interfaces that are still down, unbinding
    them from their drivers and rebinding them. This gives **`udev`**(7) renaming
    rules the opportunity to run.

 4. If any devices have been rebound, the appropriate back ends are re-invoked in
    case more matches can be done.

For information about the generation step, see
**`netplan-generate`**(8). For details of the configuration file format,
see **`netplan`**(5).

## OPTIONS

`-h`, `--help`
:    Print basic help.

`--debug`
:    Print debugging output during the process.

## KNOWN ISSUES

**`netplan apply`** will not remove virtual devices such as bridges and bonds
that have been created, even if they are no longer described in the Netplan
configuration. That is due to the fact that Netplan operates statelessly and
is not aware of the previously defined virtual devices.

This can be resolved by manually removing the virtual device (for example
`ip link delete dev bond0`) and then running `netplan apply`, by rebooting,
or by creating a temporary backup of the YAML state in `/etc/netplan`
before modifying the configuration and passing this state to Netplan (e.g.
`mkdir -p /tmp/netplan_state_backup/etc && cp -r /etc/netplan /tmp/netplan_state_backup/etc/`
then running `netplan apply --state /tmp/netplan_state_backup`).


## SEE ALSO

  **`netplan`**(5), **`netplan-generate`**(8), **`netplan-try`**(8), **`udev`**(7),
  **`systemd-networkd.service`**(8), **`NetworkManager`**(8)