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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-09 13:08:37 +0000
committerDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2024-04-09 13:08:37 +0000
commit971e619d8602fa52b1bfcb3ea65b7ab96be85318 (patch)
tree26feb2498c72b796e07b86349d17f544046de279 /doc/libnftables.adoc
parentInitial commit. (diff)
downloadnftables-upstream.tar.xz
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Adding upstream version 1.0.9.upstream/1.0.9upstream
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
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+libnftables(3)
+==============
+Phil Sutter <phil@nwl.cc>
+:doctype: manpage
+:compat-mode!:
+
+== NAME
+libnftables - nftables frontend library
+
+== SYNOPSIS
+[verse]
+____
+*#include <nftables/libnftables.h>
+
+struct nft_ctx *nft_ctx_new(uint32_t* 'flags'*);
+void nft_ctx_free(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+
+bool nft_ctx_get_dry_run(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+void nft_ctx_set_dry_run(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*, bool* 'dry'*);
+
+unsigned int nft_ctx_input_get_flags(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+unsigned int nft_ctx_input_set_flags(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*, unsigned int* 'flags'*);
+
+unsigned int nft_ctx_output_get_flags(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+void nft_ctx_output_set_flags(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*, unsigned int* 'flags'*);
+
+unsigned int nft_ctx_output_get_debug(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+void nft_ctx_output_set_debug(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*, unsigned int* 'mask'*);
+
+FILE *nft_ctx_set_output(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*, FILE* '\*fp'*);
+int nft_ctx_buffer_output(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+int nft_ctx_unbuffer_output(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+const char *nft_ctx_get_output_buffer(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+
+FILE *nft_ctx_set_error(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*, FILE* '\*fp'*);
+int nft_ctx_buffer_error(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+int nft_ctx_unbuffer_error(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+const char *nft_ctx_get_error_buffer(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+
+int nft_ctx_add_include_path(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*, const char* '\*path'*);
+void nft_ctx_clear_include_paths(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*);
+
+int nft_ctx_add_var(struct nft_ctx* '\*ctx'*, const char* '\*var'*);
+void nft_ctx_clear_vars(struct nft_ctx '\*ctx'*);
+
+int nft_run_cmd_from_buffer(struct nft_ctx* '\*nft'*, const char* '\*buf'*);
+int nft_run_cmd_from_filename(struct nft_ctx* '\*nft'*,
+ const char* '\*filename'*);*
+
+Link with '-lnftables'.
+____
+
+== DESCRIPTION
+This library was designed with nftables integration into applications in mind.
+Its API is therefore kept as simple as possible, which somewhat limits its flexibility.
+Due to support for JSON markup of input and output though, convenience in constructing and parsing of input and output data may be achieved by using a third-party library such as *libjansson*.
+
+At the very basic level, one has to allocate a new object of type *struct nft_ctx* using *nft_ctx_new*() function, then pass commands via *nft_run_cmd_from_buffer*() or *nft_run_cmd_from_filename*() functions.
+By default, any output is written to *stdout* (or *stderr* for error messages).
+These file pointers may be changed using *nft_ctx_set_output*() and *nft_ctx_set_error*() functions.
+On top of that, it is possible to have any output buffered by the library for later retrieval as a static buffer.
+See *nft_ctx_buffer_output*() and *nft_ctx_buffer_error*() functions for details.
+
+=== nft_ctx_new() and nft_ctx_free()
+These functions aid in nft context management.
+In order to make use of the library, at least one context object has to be allocated.
+The context holds temporary data such as caches, library configuration and (if enabled) output and error buffers.
+
+The *nft_ctx_new*() function allocates and returns a new context object.
+The parameter 'flags' is unused at this point and should be set to zero.
+For convenience, the macro *NFT_CTX_DEFAULT* is defined to that value.
+
+The *nft_ctx_free*() function frees the context object pointed to by 'ctx', including any caches or buffers it may hold.
+
+=== nft_ctx_get_dry_run() and nft_ctx_set_dry_run()
+Dry-run setting controls whether ruleset changes are actually committed on kernel side or not.
+It allows one to check whether a given operation would succeed without making actual changes to the ruleset.
+The default setting is *false*.
+
+The *nft_ctx_get_dry_run*() function returns the dry-run setting's value contained in 'ctx'.
+
+The *nft_ctx_set_dry_run*() function sets the dry-run setting in 'ctx' to the value of 'dry'.
+
+=== nft_ctx_input_get_flags() and nft_ctx_input_set_flags()
+The flags setting controls the input format.
+
+----
+enum {
+ NFT_CTX_INPUT_NO_DNS = (1 << 0),
+ NFT_CTX_INPUT_JSON = (1 << 1),
+};
+----
+
+NFT_CTX_INPUT_NO_DNS::
+ Avoid resolving IP addresses with blocking getaddrinfo(). In that case,
+ only plain IP addresses are accepted.
+
+NFT_CTX_INPUT_JSON:
+ When parsing the input, first try to interpret the input as JSON before
+ falling back to the nftables format. This behavior is implied when setting
+ the NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_JSON flag.
+
+The *nft_ctx_input_get_flags*() function returns the input flags setting's value in 'ctx'.
+
+The *nft_ctx_input_set_flags*() function sets the input flags setting in 'ctx' to the value of 'val'
+and returns the previous flags.
+
+=== nft_ctx_output_get_flags() and nft_ctx_output_set_flags()
+The flags setting controls the output format.
+
+----
+enum {
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_REVERSEDNS = (1 << 0),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_SERVICE = (1 << 1),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_STATELESS = (1 << 2),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_HANDLE = (1 << 3),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_JSON = (1 << 4),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_ECHO = (1 << 5),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_GUID = (1 << 6),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_PROTO = (1 << 7),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_PRIO = (1 << 8),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_SYMBOL = (1 << 9),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_TIME = (1 << 10),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_ALL = (NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_PROTO |
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_PRIO |
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_SYMBOL |
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_TIME),
+ NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_TERSE = (1 << 11),
+};
+----
+
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_REVERSEDNS::
+ Reverse DNS lookups are performed for IP addresses when printing.
+ Note that this may add significant delay to *list* commands depending on DNS resolver speed.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_SERVICE::
+ Print port numbers as services as described in the /etc/services file.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_STATELESS::
+ If stateless output has been requested, then stateful data is not printed.
+ Stateful data refers to those objects that carry run-time data, e.g. the *counter* statement holds packet and byte counter values, making it stateful.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_HANDLE::
+ Upon insertion into the ruleset, some elements are assigned a unique handle for identification purposes.
+ For example, when deleting a table or chain, it may be identified either by name or handle.
+ Rules on the other hand must be deleted by handle, because there is no other way to uniquely identify them.
+ This flag makes ruleset listings include handle values.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_JSON::
+ If enabled at compile-time, libnftables accepts input in JSON format and is able to print output in JSON format as well.
+ See *libnftables-json*(5) for a description of the supported schema.
+ This flag enables JSON output format. If the flag is set, the input will first be tried as JSON format,
+ before falling back to nftables format. This flag implies NFT_CTX_INPUT_JSON.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_ECHO::
+ The echo setting makes libnftables print the changes once they are committed to the kernel, just like a running instance of *nft monitor* would.
+ Amongst other things, this allows one to retrieve an added rule's handle atomically.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_GUID::
+ Display UID and GID as described in the /etc/passwd and /etc/group files.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_PROTO::
+ Display layer 4 protocol numerically.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_PRIO::
+ Display base chain priority numerically.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_SYMBOL::
+ Display expression datatype as numeric value.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_TIME::
+ Display time, day and hour values in numeric format.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_NUMERIC_ALL::
+ Display all numerically.
+NFT_CTX_OUTPUT_TERSE::
+ If terse output has been requested, then the contents of sets are not printed.
+
+The *nft_ctx_output_get_flags*() function returns the output flags setting's value in 'ctx'.
+
+The *nft_ctx_output_set_flags*() function sets the output flags setting in 'ctx' to the value of 'val'.
+
+=== nft_ctx_output_get_debug() and nft_ctx_output_set_debug()
+Libnftables supports separate debugging of different parts of its internals.
+To facilitate this, debugging output is controlled via a bit mask.
+The bits are defined as such:
+
+----
+enum nft_debug_level {
+ NFT_DEBUG_SCANNER = 0x1,
+ NFT_DEBUG_PARSER = 0x2,
+ NFT_DEBUG_EVALUATION = 0x4,
+ NFT_DEBUG_NETLINK = 0x8,
+ NFT_DEBUG_MNL = 0x10,
+ NFT_DEBUG_PROTO_CTX = 0x20,
+ NFT_DEBUG_SEGTREE = 0x40,
+};
+----
+
+NFT_DEBUG_SCANNER::
+ Print LEX debug output.
+NFT_DEBUG_PARSER::
+ Print YACC debug output.
+NFT_DEBUG_EVALUATION::
+ Print debug information about evaluation phase.
+NFT_DEBUG_NETLINK::
+ Print netlink debug output.
+NFT_DEBUG_MNL::
+ Print libmnl debug output.
+NFT_DEBUG_PROTO_CTX::
+ Print protocol context debug output.
+NFT_DEBUG_SEGTREE::
+ Print segtree (i.e. interval sets) debug output.
+
+The *nft_ctx_output_get_debug*() function returns the debug output setting's value in 'ctx'.
+
+The *nft_ctx_output_set_debug*() function sets the debug output setting in 'ctx' to the value of 'mask'.
+
+=== Controlling library standard and error output
+By default, any output from the library (e.g., after a *list* command) is written to 'stdout' and any error messages are written to 'stderr'.
+To give applications control over them, there are functions to assign custom file pointers as well as having the library buffer what would be written for later retrieval in a static buffer.
+This buffer is guaranteed to be null-terminated and must not be freed.
+Note that the retrieval functions rewind the buffer position indicator.
+Further library output will probably overwrite the buffer content and potentially render it invalid (due to reallocation).
+
+The *nft_ctx_set_output*() and *nft_ctx_set_error*() functions set the output or error file pointer in 'ctx' to the value of 'fp'.
+They return the previous value to aid in temporary file pointer overrides.
+On error, these functions return NULL.
+This happens only if 'fp' is NULL or invalid (tested using *ferror*() function).
+
+The *nft_ctx_buffer_output*() and *nft_ctx_buffer_error*() functions enable library standard or error output buffering.
+The functions return zero on success, non-zero otherwise.
+This may happen if the internal call to *fopencookie*() failed.
+
+The *nft_ctx_unbuffer_output*() and *nft_ctx_unbuffer_error*() functions disable library standard or error output buffering.
+On failure, the functions return non-zero which may only happen if buffering was not enabled at the time the function was called.
+
+The *nft_ctx_get_output_buffer*() and *nft_ctx_get_error_buffer*() functions return a pointer to the buffered output (which may be empty).
+
+=== nft_ctx_add_include_path() and nft_ctx_clear_include_path()
+The *include* command in nftables rulesets allows one to outsource parts of the ruleset into a different file.
+The include path defines where these files are searched for.
+Libnftables allows one to have a list of those paths which are searched in order.
+The default include path list contains a single compile-time defined entry (typically '/etc/').
+
+The *nft_ctx_add_include_path*() function extends the list of include paths in 'ctx' by the one given in 'path'.
+The function returns zero on success or non-zero if memory allocation failed.
+
+The *nft_ctx_clear_include_paths*() function removes all include paths, even the built-in default one.
+
+=== nft_ctx_add_var() and nft_ctx_clear_vars()
+The *define* command in nftables ruleset allows one to define variables.
+
+The *nft_ctx_add_var*() function extends the list of variables in 'ctx'. The variable must be given in the format 'key=value'.
+The function returns zero on success or non-zero if the variable is malformed.
+
+The *nft_ctx_clear_vars*() function removes all variables.
+
+=== nft_run_cmd_from_buffer() and nft_run_cmd_from_filename()
+These functions perform the actual work of parsing user input into nftables commands and executing them.
+
+The *nft_run_cmd_from_buffer*() function passes the command(s) contained in 'buf' (which must be null-terminated) to the library, respecting settings and state in 'nft'.
+
+The *nft_run_cmd_from_filename*() function passes the content of 'filename' to the library, respecting settings and state in 'nft'.
+
+Both functions return zero on success.
+A non-zero return code indicates an error while parsing or executing the command.
+This event should be accompanied by an error message written to library error output.
+
+== EXAMPLE
+----
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <nftables/libnftables.h>
+
+int main(void)
+{
+ char *list_cmd = "list ruleset";
+ struct nft_ctx *nft;
+ const char *output, *p;
+ char buf[256];
+ int rc = 0;
+
+ nft = nft_ctx_new(NFT_CTX_DEFAULT);
+ if (!nft)
+ return 1;
+
+ while (1) {
+ if (nft_ctx_buffer_output(nft) ||
+ nft_run_cmd_from_buffer(nft, list_cmd)) {
+ rc = 1;
+ break;
+ }
+ output = nft_ctx_get_output_buffer(nft);
+ if (strlen(output)) {
+ printf("\nThis is the current ruleset:\n| ");
+ for (p = output; *(p + 1); p++) {
+ if (*p == '\n')
+ printf("\n| ");
+ else
+ putchar(*p);
+ }
+ putchar('\n');
+ } else {
+ printf("\nCurrent ruleset is empty.\n");
+ }
+ nft_ctx_unbuffer_output(nft);
+
+ printf("\nEnter command ('q' to quit): ");
+ fflush(stdout);
+ fgets(buf, 256, stdin);
+ if (strlen(buf))
+ buf[strlen(buf) - 1] = '\0';
+
+ if (buf[0] == 'q' && buf[1] == '\0')
+ break;
+
+ if (nft_run_cmd_from_buffer(nft, buf)) {
+ rc = 1;
+ break;
+ }
+ }
+
+ nft_ctx_free(nft);
+ return rc;
+}
+----
+
+== SEE ALSO
+*libnftables-json*(5), *nft*(8)