---
name: "netstart"
section: "8"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://carta.tech/man/netstart"
---

# netstart(8)

network startup script

## NAME

**netstart** – network startup script

## SYNOPSIS

**sh** */etc/netstart* \[**-n**\] \[*interface* *...*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**netstart** is a [sh(1)](/man/sh/1.md) script invoked by [rc(8)](/man/rc/8.md) during an automatic reboot and after single-user mode is exited; it performs network initialization.

**netstart** can also be used to start newly created interfaces. Its behaviour is controlled to some extent by variables defined in [rc.conf(8)](/man/rc.conf/8.md).

During the system boot, **netstart** is executed. **netstart** performs the following operations, in the sequence given:

- Configure the loopback interface.

- Configure all physical interfaces.

- Configure non-physical interfaces that can provide the default gateway, such as [aggr(4)](/man/aggr/4.md), [trunk(4)](/man/trunk/4.md), svlan(4), [vlan(4)](/man/vlan/4.md), [carp(4)](/man/carp/4.md), and [pppoe(4)](/man/pppoe/4.md).

- Initialize the routing table and set up the default routes.

- Configure tunnel interfaces that require a working network to reach the other end of the tunnel, such as [tun(4)](/man/tun/4.md), [tap(4)](/man/tap/4.md), [gif(4)](/man/gif/4.md), [etherip(4)](/man/etherip/4.md), [gre(4)](/man/gre/4.md), egre(4), [pflow(4)](/man/pflow/4.md), and [wg(4)](/man/wg/4.md).

After the system is completely initialized, it is possible to start newly created interfaces or apply configuration from [hostname.if(5)](/man/hostname.if/5.md) files to an existing interfaces.

The options are as follows:

- **-n**

  Reports the steps that would be taken, without actually configuring anything.

## SEE ALSO

[multicast(4)](/man/multicast/4.md), [defaultdomain(5)](/man/defaultdomain/5.md), [hostname.if(5)](/man/hostname.if/5.md), [mygate(5)](/man/mygate/5.md), [ifconfig(8)](/man/ifconfig/8.md), [rc(8)](/man/rc/8.md), [rc.conf(8)](/man/rc.conf/8.md)

## HISTORY

The **netstart** command first appeared in 4.0BSD.