ifaddr Library

0.2.0 · active · verified Thu Apr 09

ifaddr is a small, cross-platform Python library designed for enumerating network interfaces and their associated IP addresses. It supports Linux, OS X, Windows, and is expected to work on other BSD derivatives and Solaris/Illumos. Released under the MIT License, the current version 0.2.0 (June 2022) works with Python 3.9+ and requires no compilation, simplifying installation.

Common errors

```
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'ifaddr'
```
cause The 'ifaddr' package is not installed in the Python environment where the code is being executed.

fix Install the 'ifaddr' package using pip: `pip install ifaddr`
```
AttributeError: module 'ifaddr' has no attribute 'get_adapters'
```
cause The `get_adapters` function is either misspelled, or a local Python file named `ifaddr.py` is shadowing the installed 'ifaddr' package, causing Python to import the local file instead of the library.

fix Ensure `ifaddr.get_adapters()` is spelled correctly. If a local file named `ifaddr.py` exists in your project directory, rename it to avoid conflicting with the installed library. The correct import and usage pattern is typically: `import ifaddr; adapters = ifaddr.get_adapters()`.
```
AttributeError: 'ifaddr.IP' object has no attribute 'address'
```
cause Users attempting to access the IP address from an `ifaddr.IP` object often use a common attribute name like 'address', but the library exposes the IP address value via the 'ip' attribute.

fix Access the IP address using the `ip` attribute: `ip_object.ip` (e.g., `print(ip.ip)`).

Warnings

breaking Version 0.2.0 dropped support for Python 3.6.
Fix: Upgrade to Python 3.7+ (preferably 3.9+ as per the latest README) if using ifaddr 0.2.0 or newer.
gotcha By default, `ifaddr.get_adapters()` only returns interfaces with configured IP addresses. To include interfaces without any assigned IP, pass `include_unconfigured=True`.
Fix: Use `ifaddr.get_adapters(include_unconfigured=True)` to retrieve all interfaces, regardless of IP configuration.
gotcha For IPv6 addresses, the `ip.ip` attribute returns a three-tuple: `(ip_address_string, flowinfo, scope_id)`, not just a string, which might require unpacking or specific handling.
Fix: Be aware that `ip.ip` for IPv6 addresses is a tuple. Access the string representation as `ip.ip[0]` if only the address string is needed.
gotcha On Windows, the `adapter.name` property returns a UUID string, not a human-readable name. Use `adapter.nice_name` for a more descriptive identifier.
Fix: Prefer `adapter.nice_name` for displaying adapter names to users, especially on Windows.
gotcha While `ifaddr` is lightweight and doesn't require compilation, the `netifaces` library offers more comprehensive network interface information. As of `ifaddr` 0.2.0, an equivalent to `netifaces.interfaces()` is available at `ifaddr.netifaces.interfaces()`.
Fix: Consider `netifaces` if more in-depth interface details (e.g., multicast addresses, status flags) are required, acknowledging its compilation dependency. For a subset of `netifaces` functionality, explore `ifaddr.netifaces` module.

Install

pip install ifaddr Install stable version

Imports

get_adapters

import ifaddr
adapters = ifaddr.get_adapters()

Quickstart

This example demonstrates how to retrieve all network adapters and iterate through their configured IP addresses. It also shows how to include unconfigured adapters if needed.

import ifaddr

# Get all network adapters
adapters = ifaddr.get_adapters()

for adapter in adapters:
    print(f"IPs of network adapter {adapter.nice_name}")
    if adapter.ips:
        for ip in adapter.ips:
            # ip.ip will be a string for IPv4, and a tuple (ip_str, flowinfo, scope_id) for IPv6
            print(f"  {ip.ip}/{ip.network_prefix}")
    else:
        print("  No IPs configured")

# To include interfaces without configured IP addresses:
# adapters_with_unconfigured = ifaddr.get_adapters(include_unconfigured=True)

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