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Introduction
============
About python-iptables
---------------------
**Iptables** is the tool that is used to manage **netfilter**, the standard
packet filtering and manipulation framework under Linux. As the iptables
manpage puts it:
Iptables is used to set up, maintain, and inspect the tables of IPv4
packet filter rules in the Linux kernel. Several different tables may be
defined.
Each table contains a number of built-in chains and may also contain
user- defined chains.
Each chain is a list of rules which can match a set of packets. Each
rule specifies what to do with a packet that matches. This is called a
`target`, which may be a jump to a user-defined chain in the same table.
``Python-iptables`` provides a pythonesque wrapper via python bindings to
iptables under Linux. Interoperability with iptables is achieved via using
the iptables C libraries (``libiptc``, ``libxtables``, and the iptables
extensions), not calling the iptables binary and parsing its output. It is
meant primarily for dynamic and/or complex routers and firewalls, where rules
are often updated or changed, or Python programs wish to interface with the
Linux iptables framework..
If you are looking for ``ebtables`` python bindings, check out
`python-ebtables <https://github.com/ldx/python-ebtables/>`_.
``Python-iptables`` supports Python 2.6, 2.7 and 3.4.
Installing via pip
------------------
The usual way::
pip install --upgrade python-iptables
Compiling from source
----------------------
First make sure you have iptables installed (most Linux distributions install
it by default). ``Python-iptables`` needs the shared libraries ``libiptc.so``
and ``libxtables.so`` coming with iptables, they are installed in ``/lib`` on
Ubuntu.
You can compile ``python-iptables`` in the usual distutils way::
% cd python-iptables
% python setup.py build
If you like, ``python-iptables`` can also be installed into a ``virtualenv``::
% mkvirtualenv python-iptables
% python setup.py install
If you install ``python-iptables`` as a system package, make sure the
directory where ``distutils`` installs shared libraries is in the dynamic
linker's search path (it's in ``/etc/ld.so.conf`` or in one of the files in
the folder ``/etc/ld.co.conf.d``). Under Ubuntu ``distutils`` by default
installs into ``/usr/local/lib``.
Now you can run the tests::
% sudo PATH=$PATH python setup.py test
WARNING: this test will manipulate iptables rules.
Don't do this on a production machine.
Would you like to continue? y/n y
[...]
The ``PATH=$PATH`` part is necessary after ``sudo`` if you have installed into
a ``virtualenv``, since ``sudo`` will reset your environment to a system
setting otherwise..
Once everything is in place you can fire up python to check whether the
package can be imported::
% sudo PATH=$PATH python
>>> import iptc
>>>
Of course you need to be root to be able to use iptables.
Using a custom iptables install
-------------------------------
If you are stuck on a system with an old version of ``iptables``, you can
install a more up to date version to a custom location, and ask
``python-iptables`` to use libraries at that location.
To install ``iptables`` to ``/tmp/iptables``::
% git clone git://git.netfilter.org/iptables && cd iptables
% ./autogen.sh
% ./configure --prefix=/tmp/iptables
% make
% make install
Make sure the dependencies ``iptables`` needs are installed.
Now you can point ``python-iptables`` to this install path via::
% sudo PATH=$PATH IPTABLES_LIBDIR=/tmp/iptables/lib XTABLES_LIBDIR=/tmp/iptables/lib/xtables python
>>> import iptc
>>>
What is supported
-----------------
The basic iptables framework and all the match/target extensions are supported
by ``python-iptables``, including IPv4 and IPv6 ones. All IPv4 and IPv6 tables
are supported as well.
Full documentation with API reference is available here_.
.. _here: http://ldx.github.com/python-iptables/
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