netbird networks (routes)

Overview

The netbird networks command (also available as netbird routes) manages connections to NetBird networks and resources. Use this to view available network routes and control which networks your peer can access.

netbird networks <subcommand> [flags]
netbird routes <subcommand> [flags]  # alias

Description

NetBird networks allow you to:

Access remote networks and resources through exit nodes
Route traffic to specific IP ranges or domains
Control which networks your peer connects to
View domain-based routes with resolved IPs

Network routes are managed by administrators in the NetBird Management Dashboard. Peers can select which routes to use.

Subcommands

list (alias: ls) - List all available network routes
select - Select network routes to use
deselect - Deselect network routes

list

List all available network routes.

netbird networks list
netbird routes list
netbird routes ls

Description

Displays all network routes available to your peer, including:

Network routes: IP ranges (CIDR notation)
Domain routes: Domain names with resolved IPs
Selection status: Whether each route is selected

Examples

List all routes:

netbird networks list

Example output:

Available Networks:

  - ID: route-abc123
    Network: 10.0.0.0/24
    Status: Selected

  - ID: route-def456
    Network: 172.16.0.0/16
    Status: Not Selected

  - ID: route-ghi789
    Domains: internal.example.com, app.example.com
    Status: Selected
    Resolved IPs:
      [internal.example.com]: 10.1.2.3
      [app.example.com]: 10.1.2.4, 10.1.2.5

  - ID: route-jkl012
    Domains: *.prod.example.com
    Status: Selected
    Resolved IPs: -

Understanding the Output

Network Routes:

ID: Unique identifier for the route
Network: IP range in CIDR notation (e.g., 10.0.0.0/24)
Status: Selected or Not Selected

Domain Routes:

ID: Unique identifier for the route
Domains: One or more domain names (can include wildcards)
Status: Selected or Not Selected
Resolved IPs: Current DNS resolution results for each domain

No Routes Available

If no routes are configured:

No networks available.

Contact your NetBird administrator to configure network routes.

select

Select network routes to use.

netbird networks select <network_id>... | all [flags]
netbird routes select <network_id>... | all [flags]

Description

Selecting a route enables your peer to:

Access the network/domain through the designated exit node
Route traffic for that network through NetBird
Apply any associated firewall or access policies

Flags

boolean

default:"false"

Append to current network selection instead of replacingShort form: -aBy default, select replaces your current selection. Use this flag to add routes without removing existing ones.

Arguments

<network_id>... - One or more route IDs to select
all - Select all available routes (clears all selections and accepts all including new routes)

Examples

Select a single route:

netbird networks select route-abc123

Select multiple routes:

netbird networks select route-abc123 route-def456

Select all routes:

netbird networks select all

Selecting all is special: it not only selects all current routes but also automatically selects any new routes added in the future.

Add routes to existing selection (append mode):

netbird routes select -a route-ghi789

Replace selection with new routes:

netbird networks select route-abc123 route-def456

Behavior

Default mode (replace):

Deselects all previously selected routes
Selects only the specified routes

Append mode (-a):

Keeps existing selections
Adds new routes to the selection

deselect

Deselect network routes.

netbird networks deselect <network_id>... | all
netbird routes deselect <network_id>... | all

Description

Deselecting a route stops routing traffic for that network through NetBird.

Arguments

<network_id>... - One or more route IDs to deselect
all - Deselect all routes (disable accepting any networks)

Examples

Deselect a single route:

netbird networks deselect route-abc123

Deselect multiple routes:

netbird networks deselect route-abc123 route-def456

Deselect all routes:

netbird networks deselect all

Deselecting all disables accepting any network routes, including future ones. You won’t receive any network routes until you select them again.

Complete Workflow Examples

View and Select Routes

# 1. List available routes
netbird networks list

# 2. Select needed routes
netbird networks select route-abc123 route-def456

# 3. Verify selection
netbird networks list

# 4. Check connectivity
netbird status --detail

Add Route to Existing Selection

# View current selection
netbird networks list

# Add new route without affecting others
netbird networks select -a route-ghi789

# Verify
netbird networks list

Remove Specific Routes

# List current routes
netbird networks list

# Deselect unwanted routes
netbird networks deselect route-def456

# Verify
netbird networks list

Accept All Routes (Including Future)

# Select all current and future routes
netbird networks select all

# Verify - all routes should be selected
netbird networks list

Disable All Routes

# Deselect all routes
netbird networks deselect all

# Verify - all routes should be deselected
netbird networks list

Network Types

IP Range Routes (Network Routes)

Route traffic to specific IP ranges:

- ID: route-office-lan
  Network: 10.10.0.0/16
  Status: Selected

Use cases:

Access office LAN
Connect to private cloud networks
Reach internal infrastructure

Domain Routes

Route traffic to specific domains:

- ID: route-internal-apps
  Domains: app.internal.com, api.internal.com
  Status: Selected
  Resolved IPs:
    [app.internal.com]: 10.20.1.5
    [api.internal.com]: 10.20.1.6, 10.20.1.7

Features:

Supports wildcards (e.g., *.internal.com)
Automatically resolves DNS
Updates when IPs change

Use cases:

Access internal web applications
Route API traffic
Connect to dynamic services

Route Selection Strategies

Minimal Selection

Select only routes you actively use:

netbird networks select route-office-network

Pros:

Reduced routing complexity
Explicit control
Easy troubleshooting

Cons:

Must manually add new routes
May miss newly added networks

Accept All

Automatically accept all routes:

netbird networks select all

Pros:

Automatic access to new networks
No maintenance needed
Complete network access

Cons:

May route unneeded traffic
Less explicit control

Selective Append

Start with specific routes, add as needed:

# Initial selection
netbird networks select route-office route-vpn

# Add new routes as needed
netbird routes select -a route-new-service

Pros:

Balanced approach
Grows with needs
Maintains control

Verification

Check Route Status

netbird networks list

Look for Status: Selected on routes you expect to use.

Test Connectivity

Ping through route:

# If route is for 10.0.0.0/24
ping 10.0.0.1

Check routing table:

# Linux/macOS
ip route | grep wt0
netstat -rn | grep wt0

# Windows
route print

Verify DNS resolution (domain routes):

nslookup app.internal.com
dig app.internal.com

Check via Status

netbird status --detail

Look for network routes in the output.

Troubleshooting

Route Not Working After Selection

Verify selection:
netbird networks list
Check connection:
netbird status
Restart connection:
netbird down netbird up
Check exit node connectivity:
netbird status --detail

Domain Route Not Resolving

Check DNS configuration:

# Linux
cat /etc/resolv.conf

# macOS
scutil --dns

# Windows
ipconfig /all

Verify NetBird DNS:

netbird status --detail

Can’t Select Route

Possible causes:

Route ID typo
Route was deleted by admin
Insufficient permissions
Daemon not running

Solutions:

# Verify route ID
netbird networks list

# Check daemon
netbird status

# Restart service
sudo netbird service restart

Routes Disappeared

If routes are no longer listed:

Check management connection:
netbird status
Refresh connection:
netbird down && netbird up
Contact administrator - routes may have been removed

Administration

Network routes are configured by administrators in the NetBird Management Dashboard:

Navigate to Network Routes
Click Add Route
Configure:
- Network (CIDR) or Domains
- Exit node/peer
- Distribution groups
- Access control policies

See: Network Routes Guide

​Overview

​Description

​Subcommands

​list

​Description

​Examples

​Understanding the Output

​No Routes Available

​select

​Description

​Flags

​Arguments

​Examples

​Behavior

​deselect

​Description

​Arguments

​Examples

​Complete Workflow Examples

​View and Select Routes

​Add Route to Existing Selection

​Remove Specific Routes

​Accept All Routes (Including Future)

​Disable All Routes

​Network Types

​IP Range Routes (Network Routes)

​Domain Routes

​Route Selection Strategies

​Minimal Selection

​Accept All

​Selective Append

​Verification

​Check Route Status

​Test Connectivity

​Check via Status

​Troubleshooting

​Route Not Working After Selection

​Domain Route Not Resolving

​Can’t Select Route

​Routes Disappeared

​Administration

​See Also

Overview

Description

Subcommands

list

Description

Examples

Understanding the Output

No Routes Available

select

Description

Flags

Arguments

Examples

Behavior

deselect

Description

Arguments

Examples

Complete Workflow Examples

View and Select Routes

Add Route to Existing Selection

Remove Specific Routes

Accept All Routes (Including Future)

Disable All Routes

Network Types

IP Range Routes (Network Routes)

Domain Routes

Route Selection Strategies

Minimal Selection

Accept All

Selective Append

Verification

Check Route Status

Test Connectivity

Check via Status

Troubleshooting

Route Not Working After Selection

Domain Route Not Resolving

Can’t Select Route

Routes Disappeared

Administration

See Also