---
title: netplan-generate
section: 8
author:
- Daniel Axtens (<daniel.axtens@canonical.com>)
...

# NAME

netplan-generate - generate backend configuration from netplan YAML files

# SYNOPSIS

  **netplan** [--debug] **generate** -h | --help

  **netplan** [--debug] **generate** [--root-dir _ROOT_DIR_] [--mapping _MAPPING_]

# DESCRIPTION

netplan generate converts netplan YAML into configuration files
understood by the backends (**systemd-networkd**(8) or
**NetworkManager**(8)). It *does not* apply the generated
configuration.

You will not normally need to run this directly as it is run by
**netplan apply**, **netplan try**, or at boot.

For details of the configuration file format, see **netplan**(5).

# OPTIONS

  -h, --help
:    Print basic help.

  --debug
:    Print debugging output during the process.

  --root-dir _ROOT_DIR_
:   Instead of looking in /{lib,etc,run}/netplan, look in
    /_ROOT_DIR_/{lib,etc,run}/netplan

  --mapping _MAPPING_
:   Instead of generating output files, parse the configuration files
    and print some internal information about the device specified in
    _MAPPING_.

# HANDLING MULTIPLE FILES

There are 3 locations that netplan generate considers:

 * /lib/netplan/*.yaml
 * /etc/netplan/*.yaml
 * /run/netplan/*.yaml

If there are multiple files with exactly the same name, then only one
will be read. A file in /run/netplan will shadow - completely replace
- a file with the same name in /etc/netplan. A file in /etc/netplan
will itself shadow a file in /lib/netplan.

Or in other words, /run/netplan is top priority, then /etc/netplan,
with /lib/netplan having the lowest priority.

If there are files with different names, then they are considered in
lexicographical order - regardless of the directory they are in. Later
files add to or override earlier files. For example,
/run/netplan/10-foo.yaml would be updated by /lib/netplan/20-abc.yaml.

If you have two files with the same key/setting, the following rules
apply:

 * If the values are YAML boolean or scalar values (numbers and
   strings) the old value is overwritten by the new value.

 * If the values are sequences, the sequences are concatenated - the
   new values are appended to the old list.

 * If the values are mappings, netplan will examine the elements
   of the mappings in turn using these rules.

# SEE ALSO

  **netplan**(5), **netplan-apply**(8), **netplan-try**(8),
  **systemd-networkd**(8), **NetworkManager**(8)