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Iptables
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{{Short description|Linux firewall software}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} {{More footnotes|date=April 2015}} {{Lowercase title}} {{Infobox software | name = iptables | logo = | screenshot = Iptablesfb.png | screenshot alt = Screenshot of "iptables -vnL" in framebuffer | screenshot title = Screenshot of "iptables -vnL" in framebuffer | caption = | author = [[Rusty Russell]] | developer = Netfilter Core Team | released = 2001 | programming language = [[C (programming language)|C]] | genre = [[Network packet|Packet filtering]] | license = [[GPL]] | website = {{URL|https://www.netfilter.org}} | latest_release_version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|P348|P548=Q2804309}} | latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}}} | operating_system = [[Linux]] | platform = [[Netfilter]] }} '''iptables''' is a [[User space|user-space]] utility program that allows a [[system administrator]] to configure the [[Packet filter|IP packet filter rules]] of the [[Linux kernel]] [[Firewall (computing)|firewall]], implemented as different [[Netfilter]] modules. The filters are organized in a set of tables, which contain chains of rules for how to treat network traffic packets. Different kernel modules and programs are currently used for different protocols; ''iptables'' applies to IPv4, ''ip6tables'' to IPv6, ''arptables'' to [[Address Resolution Protocol|ARP]], and ''{{Not a typo|ebtables}}'' to [[Ethernet frame]]s. iptables requires elevated privileges to operate and must be executed by user [[Superuser|root]], otherwise it fails to function. On most Linux systems, iptables is installed as {{mono|/usr/sbin/iptables}} and documented in its [[man page]]s, which can be opened using <code>man iptables</code> when installed. It may also be found in <code>/sbin/iptables</code>, but since iptables is more like a service rather than an "essential binary", the preferred location remains {{mono|/usr/sbin}}. The term ''iptables'' is also commonly used to inclusively refer to the kernel-level components. ''x_tables'' is the name of the kernel module carrying the shared code portion used by all four modules that also provides the API used for extensions; subsequently, ''Xtables'' is more or less used to refer to the entire firewall (v4, v6, arp, and eb) architecture. iptables superseded [[ipchains]]; and the successor of iptables is [[nftables]], which was released on 19 January 2014<ref>{{cite web | title = Linux 3.13, Section 1.2. nftables, the successor of iptables | url = http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_3.13#head-f628a9c41d7ec091f7a62db6a49b8da50659ec88 | date = 2014-01-19 | access-date = 2014-01-20 | website = kernelnewbies.org}}</ref> and was merged into the [[Linux kernel mainline]] in kernel version 3.13.
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