route
TheReactOSroute command
Developers	Fred N. van Kempen,Microsoft,IBM, ReactOS Contributors
Operating system	Unix-like,OS/2,Microsoft Windows,ReactOS
Platform	Cross-platform
Type	Command
License	OS/2, Windows:Proprietarycommercial software ReactOS:GPLv2

Incomputing,route is acommand used to view and manipulate theIProuting table inUnix-like andMicrosoftWindows^[1]operating systems and also inIBMOS/2 andReactOS.^[2] Manual manipulation of the routing table is characteristic ofstatic routing.

Theroute command originated in 4.2BSD. It is not part of any UNIX standard, but the BSD interface is widely implemented.^[3]

Linux contains a version of theroute originally written by Fred N. van Kempen, later merged withnetstat's codebase (another command originating in 4.2BSD). It implements an extended syntax compared to the BSD version. InLinux distributions based on 2.2.xLinux kernels, theifconfig androute commands are operated together to connect a computer to a network, and to define routes betweencomputer networks. Distributions based on later kernels have deprecatedifconfig androute, replacing them withiproute2.^[4]

OnmacOS, theroute utility is present but largely nonfunctional. Displaying the routing table is instead performed vianetstat -nr.

The BSD syntax is:

route[-dnqtv]{add|del|flush|get|monitor}[[modifiers]args]

The Linux syntax is:

route[-nNvee][-FC][<AF>]# List kernel routing tablesroute[-v][-FC]{add|del|flush}...# Modify routing table for AF.route{-h|--help}[<AF>]# Detailed usage syntax for specified AF.route{-V|--version}# Display version/author and exit.

In other words, the basicroute add androute del commands are portable.

user@linux:~$route-nKernel IP routing tableDestination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface192.168.101.0   192.168.102.102 255.255.255.0   UG    0      0        0 eth0192.168.102.0   0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     0      0        0 eth0192.168.103.0   192.168.102.102 255.255.255.0   UG    0      0        0 eth0192.168.12.0    0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     0      0        0 eth00.0.0.0         192.168.12.1    0.0.0.0         UG    0      0        0 eth0

The command is only available if theTCP/IP protocol is installed as a component in the properties of anetwork adapter.

The command-syntax is:

route [-f] [-p] [-4|-6] [Command [Destination] [mask Netmask] [Gateway] [[metric Metric]] [[if Interface]]

• -f: Clears the routing table
• -p: The route is added to theWindows Registry and is used to initialize the IP routing table whenever the TCP/IP protocol is started (only when used with theadd command)
• Command: The command to run (add,change,delete,print)
• -4: Force usingIPv4
• -6: Force usingIPv6
• Destination: Network destination of the route
• mask Netmask: The netmask (subnet mask) associated with the network destination
• Gateway: The forwarding or next hop IP address over which the set of addresses defined by the network destination and subnet mask are reachable
• metric Metric: Integer cost metric (ranging from 1 to 9999) for the route
• if Interface: The index of the interface over which the destination is reachable
• /?: Command help

The-p parameter is only supported onWindows NT 4.0,Windows 2000,Windows Millennium Edition, andWindows XP. It is not supported onWindows 95 orWindows 98.

The command-syntax is:

route [-nqv] [COMMAND] [[MODIFIERS] args]

• -n: Bypasses translating IP addresses to symbolic host names
• -q: Suppresses all output
• -v: Verbose
• COMMAND: The command to run (add,delete,change,get,monitor,flush)
• -net:<dest> is a network address
• -host:<dest> is host name or address (default)
• -netmask: the mask of the route
• <dest>: IP address or host name of the destination
• <gateway>: IP address or host name of the next-hop router

ReactOS is an open-source Windows clone. Theroute implementation will eventually cover all options supported by Windows, but the current (as of 2025) version does not. It instead implements a subset of the options, a "poor man's route":^[2]

Print the route table:

route print

Add a route:

route add<target> [mask<mask>]<gw> [metric<m>]

Delete a route:

route delete<target> <gw>

• Routing table
• Internet Protocol Suite
• iproute2
• BusyBox

• Stanek, William R. (2004).Microsoft Windows Command-Line Administrator's Pocket Consultant.ISBN 0-735-62038-5.
• John Paul Mueller (2007).Windows Administration at the Command Line for Windows Vista, Windows 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.John Wiley & Sons.ISBN 978-0470165799.

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of:Guide to Windows Commands

• route(8) – 4.2BSD System Manager'sManual
• route(8) – Linux Administration and Privileged CommandsManual
• route(8) – FreeBSD System Manager'sManual
• route(8) – Solaris 11.4 System Administration Commands ReferenceManual
• route - ontechnet.microsoft.com

• Windows commands
• Internet Protocol based network software
• OS/2 commands
• Routing
• Unix network-related software
• Windows communication and services
• Windows administration

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata