Guide To Setting up Static IP in Ubuntu

While using a static IP may not be as robust as a dynamic (DHCP) one, it certainly has many uses of its own. Whether you are trying to set up your device as a web/FTP server or to configure it as a shared device on a local network, this tutorial will guide you through the different ways you can set up a static IP address on your Ubuntu device.

Difference Between Static and Dynamic IP Addresses

As the name suggests, static IP addresses never change and are assigned to a device manually, whereas dynamic IP addresses are temporarily assigned to a device and change over time.
Static IP addresses are assigned to a device by the ISP whereas dynamic IP addresses are assigned by a DHCP server.
Dynamic IP addresses are mostly used by personal devices while shared devices or servers used in offices/organizations use a static IP address.

How To Set up a Static Ip Address in Ubuntu?

There are two methods to set up a static IP address in Ubuntu. Follow the methods below to easily set up a static IP address on your device.

Method 1: Using Ubuntu Settings

This is a straightforward method that can be done without the need to interact with the terminal. Also, this is the optimal method to use if you are on a Ubuntu desktop or any personal device running Ubuntu. Follow the steps below to keep going:

1. Open Settings from the list of applications

2. If you are using a Wi-Fi, click on Wi-Fi otherwise choose Network and then click on the small gear icon to open the corresponding settings menu

Network Settings Wifi Wired — Network Settings for Wi-Fi and Cable

3. Go to the IPv4 tab and under IPv4 Method, choose Manual

4. Enter the suitable Address, Netmask and Gateway, and finally click on Apply to save the settings.

Configuring Static IP GUI — Configuring Static IP using network settings

Note: To revert these changes and go back to dynamic IP, all you need to do is choose the Automatic (DHCP) option instead of the IPv4 Method chosen in step 3.

Method 2: By Creating a netplan Configuration

Netplan is a command-line network configuration tool that uses a YAML file to store the network configuration of our Ubuntu device. Using netplan is the recommended way to configure a static IP address for a server although you can also use it on your personal device.

Prerequisite:

You need the adapter name of the primary adapter you are using for the network connection. Follow the steps below to get details about your network adapter:

1. Open the terminal (Press Ctrl+Alt+T)

2. Enter the following command:

ip addr

This command will display the current IP addresses and their properties along with the adapter they belong to.

3. Note down the adapter name as shown below.

Your Network Adapters 1 — Your Network Adapters

Please note that an adapter name starting with the prefix 'en' stands for ethernet (In case you are using a cable) and the one with the prefix ‘wl' stands for wireless LAN (In case you are using Wi-Fi). You have to choose the corresponding adapter name accordingly.

Creating the netplan configuration:

Once you have noted down your adapter name, you can continue with the steps below:

1. In the terminal enter the following command:

cd /etc/netplan

We need this command to navigate to the etc/netplan folder where we have to create the netplan configuration file.

2. Enter the ls command to list the files in the directory

We will edit the file 01-network-manager-all.yaml to set up our new IP address configuration.

Using Netplan And Editing Config File 1 — Using Netplan and editing the config file

3. To edit the file using the Vi editor, enter the following command:

sudo vi 01-network-manager-all.yaml

Once you are in the Vi interface, press I to start editing the file.

4. Now you need to carefully format the code and enter the correct parameters as shown in the example code below:

# Let NetworkManager manage all devices on this system
network:
  version: 2
  renderer: NetworkManager
  ethernets:                 
    enp2s0:      #Your adapter name
      dhcp4: no
      addresses: [10.32.0.166/24]       #Your IP address
      gateway4: 10.32.0.1                  #Your gateway address
      nameservers:
          addresses: [1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1]    #DNS servers

How Your Config File Should Look Like — This is how your config file should look like (*Please note that the addresses used in this image are merely for example*)

Once you have correctly entered the code save it by pressing ESC and entering :wq! in the Vi editor.

5. Enter the following code to try and apply the modifications made:

sudo netplan try

You can confirm whether the changes were made successfully by using the ip addr command again.

Conclusion

We discussed two methods to set up a static IP address on an Ubuntu device. The first method was relatively easy and minimal while the second method provided an advanced way to configure the IP address of our device. Thanks for sticking with us till the end, we hope that you were able to achieve your goal.