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Thomas Mangin edited this page Nov 15, 2025 · 5 revisions

Configuration Examples Index

Comprehensive index of all 86 ExaBGP configuration examples

This index organizes all configuration examples from the /etc/exabgp/ directory to help you quickly find the right example for your use case.

Table of Contents

Quick Navigation

By Experience Level

🟢 Beginner (Getting Started)

Perfect for your first ExaBGP deployment.

Example Description Link
parse-simple-v4.conf Minimal IPv4 static routes View
parse-simple-v6.conf Minimal IPv6 static routes View
example-healthcheck.conf Health check with service monitoring View
api-ipv4.conf Basic IPv4 API announcements View
api-ipv6.conf Basic IPv6 API announcements View

🟡 Intermediate (Common Use Cases)

Standard production patterns.

Example Description Link
api-flow.conf FlowSpec DDoS mitigation via API View
conf-flow.conf FlowSpec static configuration View
api-announce.conf Dynamic route announcements View
api-add-remove.conf Add/remove routes dynamically View
conf-template.conf Configuration templates View
parse-md5.conf MD5 authentication View
parse-ttl.conf TTL security View

🔴 Advanced (Complex Deployments)

Advanced features and multi-service scenarios.

Example Description Link
conf-bgpls.conf BGP-LS topology collection View
conf-srv6-mup.conf SRv6 Mobile User Plane View
conf-mvpn.conf Multicast VPN (MVPN) View
api-mvpn.conf MVPN via API View
conf-l2vpn.conf L2VPN/VPLS View
api-vpls.conf VPLS via API View
api-multi-neighbor.conf Multiple BGP neighbors View

By Use Case

🛡️ DDoS Mitigation & Security

FlowSpec-based traffic filtering and security.

Example Description Address Family Link
conf-flow.conf Comprehensive FlowSpec rules IPv4/IPv6 FlowSpec View
api-flow.conf Dynamic FlowSpec via API IPv4 FlowSpec View
api-flow-merge.conf Merge multiple FlowSpec rules IPv4 FlowSpec View
conf-flow-redirect.conf FlowSpec traffic redirect IPv4 FlowSpec View
api-broken-flow.conf FlowSpec error testing IPv4 FlowSpec View
api-blocklist.conf IP blocklist announcements IPv4 Unicast View

Use case: Block DDoS attacks, implement traffic filtering, redirect malicious traffic.

See also: DDoS Mitigation Guide, FlowSpec Overview

🏥 Health Checks & High Availability

Service monitoring and failover.

Example Description Link
example-healthcheck.conf Built-in health check module View
api-check.conf Custom health check script View
api-watchdog.conf Watchdog process monitoring View
api-fast.conf Fast failover configuration View

Use case: Anycast service availability, automatic failover, service health monitoring.

See also: Service High Availability, Anycast Management

🌐 VPN & MPLS

L2VPN, L3VPN, and VPLS configurations.

Example Description Type Link
conf-vpn.conf L3VPN/VPNv4 static routes L3VPN View
api-vpnv4.conf VPNv4 via API L3VPN View
conf-l2vpn.conf L2VPN/VPLS configuration L2VPN View
api-vpls.conf VPLS via API L2VPN View
conf-mvpn.conf Multicast VPN MVPN View
api-mvpn.conf MVPN via API MVPN View
api-attributes-vpn.conf VPN attributes via API L3VPN View

Use case: Enterprise WAN, service provider MPLS networks, data center interconnect.

See also: L3VPN Overview

🔄 Route Reflection & IBGP

Route reflection and IBGP configurations.

Example Description Link
api-rr.conf Route reflector View
api-rr-rib.conf Route reflector with RIB View
api-rib.conf RIB-only mode (receive routes) View

Use case: IBGP scaling, route reflection, topology collection.

See also: Route Reflection

📊 Topology & SDN

BGP-LS for SDN controllers and network visualization.

Example Description Link
conf-bgpls.conf BGP-LS topology collection View

Use case: SDN controllers, network topology visualization, traffic engineering.

See also: BGP-LS Overview

🚀 Advanced Routing Features

Segment Routing, SRv6, and advanced path attributes.

Example Description Link
conf-prefix-sid.conf Prefix SID (Segment Routing) View
conf-prefix-sid-srv6.conf SRv6 Prefix SID View
conf-srv6-mup.conf SRv6 Mobile User Plane (draft-03) View
conf-srv6-mup-v3.conf SRv6 MUP v3 View
conf-addpath.conf ADD-PATH capability View
conf-path-information.conf Path information attribute View

Use case: Traffic engineering, 5G mobile networks, segment routing deployments.

See also: SRv6 and MUP

By Address Family

IPv4 Unicast

Example Type Description Link
parse-simple-v4.conf Static Minimal IPv4 routes View
api-ipv4.conf API IPv4 via API View
api-blocklist.conf API IP blocklist View
api-announce.conf API Dynamic announcements View
conf-new-v4.conf Static New-style IPv4 config View
conf-ipself4.conf Static Next-hop self IPv4 View

See also: IPv4 Unicast

IPv6 Unicast

Example Type Description Link
parse-simple-v6.conf Static Minimal IPv6 routes View
api-ipv6.conf API IPv6 via API View
conf-new-v6.conf Static New-style IPv6 config View
conf-ipself6.conf Static Next-hop self IPv6 View
conf-ipv6grouping.conf Static IPv6 route grouping View
extended-nexthop.conf Static Extended next-hop View

See also: IPv6 Unicast

FlowSpec (IPv4/IPv6)

Example FlowSpec Version Description Link
conf-flow.conf IPv4/IPv6 Comprehensive FlowSpec examples View
api-flow.conf IPv4 FlowSpec via API View
api-flow-merge.conf IPv4 Merge multiple rules View
conf-flow-redirect.conf IPv4 Traffic redirect View
api-broken-flow.conf IPv4 Error testing View

See also: FlowSpec Overview

L3VPN/VPNv4/VPNv6

Example Type Description Link
conf-vpn.conf Static L3VPN static routes View
api-vpnv4.conf API VPNv4 via API View
api-attributes-vpn.conf API VPN attributes View

See also: L3VPN Overview

L2VPN/VPLS

Example Type Description Link
conf-l2vpn.conf Static L2VPN/VPLS configuration View
api-vpls.conf API VPLS via API View

See also: VPLS Configuration

BGP-LS (Link State)

Example Description Link
conf-bgpls.conf BGP-LS topology collection View

See also: BGP-LS Overview

MVPN (Multicast VPN)

Example Type Description Link
conf-mvpn.conf Static Multicast VPN View
api-mvpn.conf API MVPN via API View

By Feature

🔌 API & Process Control

Feature Example Description Link
Basic API api-api.conf Multiple API processes View
Process matching api-announce-processes-match.conf Selective announcements View
Multiple processes parse-multiple-process.conf Multiple process config View
Multi-session api-multisession.conf Multiple BGP sessions View
EOR api-eor.conf End-of-RIB marker View
Manual EOR api-manual-eor.conf Manual EOR control View
No respawn api-no-respawn.conf Disable process respawn View
Reload api-reload.1.conf, api-reload.2.conf Config reload testing View

See also: API Overview, Process Configuration

🏷️ BGP Attributes & Communities

Feature Example Description Link
All attributes conf-attributes.conf Complete attribute showcase View
API attributes api-attributes.conf Attributes via API View
Path attributes api-attributes-path.conf AS path attributes View
Communities parse-community.conf BGP communities View
Large communities conf-largecommunity.conf RFC 8092 large communities View
Extended attributes conf-extended-attributes.conf Extended communities View
Generic attributes conf-generic-attribute.conf Generic attribute support View
Aggregator conf-aggregator.conf AGGREGATOR attribute View

See also: BGP Attributes, Communities

⚙️ BGP Capabilities

Feature Example Description Link
ADD-PATH conf-addpath.conf Multiple paths advertisement View
4-byte ASN conf-no-asn4.conf Disable 4-byte ASN View
Software version conf-cap-software-version.conf Software version capability View
Unknown capability conf-unknowncap.conf Unknown capability handling View
Hostname conf-hostname.conf Hostname capability View

See also: Capabilities

🔐 Security & Authentication

Feature Example Description Link
MD5 authentication parse-md5.conf TCP MD5 authentication View
TTL security parse-ttl.conf TTL security (GTSM) View

See also: Security Best Practices

🎯 Next-Hop & Routing

Feature Example Description Link
Next-hop self api-nexthop-self.conf Next-hop self via API View
Next-hop control api-nexthop.conf Next-hop manipulation View
Extended next-hop extended-nexthop.conf Extended next-hop capability View

📝 Configuration Management

Feature Example Description Link
Templates conf-template.conf Configuration templates View
Groups conf-group.conf Neighbor groups View
Group limits conf-group-limit.conf Group with limits View
Split config conf-split.conf Split configuration View
Names conf-name.conf Named configurations View

See also: Templates and Inheritance

🧪 Testing & Debugging

Feature Example Description Link
EBGP testing conf-ebgp.conf EBGP session View
Parity testing conf-parity.conf Configuration parity View
OPEN messages api-open.conf OPEN message testing View
NOTIFICATION api-notification.conf NOTIFICATION messages View
Teardown api-teardown.conf Session teardown View
Unknown messages unknown-message.conf Unknown message handling View

See also: Debugging Guide

Complete Examples Catalog

Beginner Examples

Start here if you're new to ExaBGP.

File Description Lines Complexity
parse-simple-v4.conf Minimal IPv4 static routes with communities 38 ⭐
parse-simple-v6.conf Minimal IPv6 static routes 20 ⭐
example-healthcheck.conf Health check with curl to nginx service 25 ⭐
api-ipv4.conf Basic IPv4 route announcement via API 15 ⭐
api-ipv6.conf Basic IPv6 route announcement via API 15 ⭐
parse-process.conf Single process configuration 20 ⭐

Learning path:

  1. Start with parse-simple-v4.conf to understand basic BGP config
  2. Try example-healthcheck.conf for real-world anycast use case
  3. Move to api-ipv4.conf to learn dynamic route control
  4. Explore api-flow.conf for DDoS mitigation

API Examples

Examples using the ExaBGP API for dynamic route control.

All API examples require a companion process script (usually in /etc/exabgp/run/).

File Category Description Link
api-add-remove.conf Basic Add and remove routes dynamically View
api-announce.conf Basic Dynamic route announcements View
api-announce-star.conf Advanced Wildcard announcements View
api-announce-processes-match.conf Advanced Selective process matching View
api-announcement.conf Basic Basic announcement structure View
api-api.conf Advanced Multiple API processes View
api-attributes.conf Intermediate BGP attributes via API View
api-attributes-path.conf Intermediate AS path attributes View
api-attributes-vpn.conf Advanced VPN attributes View
api-blocklist.conf Intermediate IP blocklist management View
api-broken-flow.conf Testing FlowSpec error testing View
api-check.conf Intermediate Custom health check View
api-eor.conf Advanced End-of-RIB marker View
api-fast.conf Intermediate Fast failover View
api-flow.conf Intermediate FlowSpec via API View
api-flow-merge.conf Advanced Merge FlowSpec rules View
api-ipv4.conf Basic IPv4 unicast via API View
api-ipv6.conf Basic IPv6 unicast via API View
api-manual-eor.conf Advanced Manual EOR control View
api-multi-neighbor.conf Advanced Multiple BGP neighbors View
api-multiple-api.conf Advanced Multiple API endpoints View
api-multisession.conf Advanced Multiple BGP sessions View
api-mvpn.conf Advanced Multicast VPN View
api-nexthop.conf Intermediate Next-hop manipulation View
api-nexthop-self.conf Intermediate Next-hop self View
api-no-respawn.conf Advanced Disable process respawn View
api-notification.conf Testing NOTIFICATION messages View
api-open.conf Testing OPEN message testing View
api-reload.1.conf Testing Config reload test 1 View
api-reload.2.conf Testing Config reload test 2 View
api-rib.conf Advanced RIB-only mode View
api-rr.conf Advanced Route reflector View
api-rr-rib.conf Advanced Route reflector with RIB View
api-teardown.conf Testing Session teardown View
api-vpls.conf Advanced VPLS via API View
api-vpnv4.conf Advanced VPNv4 via API View
api-watchdog.conf Intermediate Watchdog monitoring View

Total API examples: 37

See also: API Overview, Writing API Programs

Configuration Examples

Static configuration examples (no API required).

File Category Description Link
conf-addpath.conf Capabilities ADD-PATH capability View
conf-aggregator.conf Attributes AGGREGATOR attribute View
conf-attributes.conf Attributes Complete attributes showcase View
conf-bgpls.conf BGP-LS BGP-LS topology collection View
conf-cap-software-version.conf Capabilities Software version capability View
conf-ebgp.conf Basic EBGP session View
conf-extended-attributes.conf Attributes Extended communities View
conf-flow.conf FlowSpec Comprehensive FlowSpec examples View
conf-flow-redirect.conf FlowSpec FlowSpec traffic redirect View
conf-generic-attribute.conf Attributes Generic attribute support View
conf-group.conf Templates Neighbor groups View
conf-group-limit.conf Templates Group with limits View
conf-hostname.conf Capabilities Hostname capability View
conf-ipself4.conf IPv4 Next-hop self IPv4 View
conf-ipself6.conf IPv6 Next-hop self IPv6 View
conf-ipv46routes4family.conf Mixed IPv4/IPv6 routes, IPv4 family View
conf-ipv46routes6family.conf Mixed IPv4/IPv6 routes, IPv6 family View
conf-ipv6grouping.conf IPv6 IPv6 route grouping View
conf-l2vpn.conf L2VPN L2VPN/VPLS View
conf-largecommunity.conf Communities Large communities (RFC 8092) View
conf-mvpn.conf MVPN Multicast VPN View
conf-name.conf Templates Named configurations View
conf-new-v4.conf IPv4 New-style IPv4 config View
conf-new-v6.conf IPv6 New-style IPv6 config View
conf-no-asn4.conf Capabilities Disable 4-byte ASN View
conf-parity.conf Testing Configuration parity testing View
conf-path-information.conf Attributes Path information attribute View
conf-prefix-sid.conf Segment Routing Prefix SID View
conf-prefix-sid-srv6.conf SRv6 SRv6 Prefix SID View
conf-split.conf Templates Split configuration View
conf-srv6-mup.conf SRv6 SRv6 Mobile User Plane View
conf-srv6-mup-v3.conf SRv6 SRv6 MUP v3 View
conf-template.conf Templates Configuration templates View
conf-unknowncap.conf Capabilities Unknown capability handling View
conf-vpn.conf L3VPN L3VPN/VPNv4 View

Total static configuration examples: 35

Parsing & Testing Examples

Examples for parsing validation and testing.

File Purpose Description Link
parse-simple-v4.conf Validation Minimal IPv4 parsing View
parse-simple-v6.conf Validation Minimal IPv6 parsing View
parse-community.conf Validation Community parsing View
parse-dual-neighbor.conf Validation Dual neighbor parsing View
parse-md5.conf Validation MD5 authentication View
parse-multiple-process.conf Validation Multiple processes View
parse-multisession.conf Validation Multi-session parsing View
parse-process.conf Validation Process parsing View
parse-ttl.conf Validation TTL security View
unknown-message.conf Testing Unknown message handling View
extended-nexthop.conf Testing Extended next-hop capability View

Total parsing/testing examples: 11

See also: Debugging Guide

Example Details

Understanding Example Naming

ExaBGP examples follow a naming convention:

  • api-*.conf - Requires API process (dynamic control)
  • conf-*.conf - Static configuration (no API)
  • parse-*.conf - Configuration parsing validation
  • example-*.conf - Complete use case examples

Configuration Structure

Most examples follow this structure:

# Process definition (if API example)
process process-name {
    run /path/to/script;
    encoder text;  # or json
}

# Neighbor definition
neighbor 127.0.0.1 {
    router-id 1.2.3.4;
    local-address 127.0.0.1;
    local-as 65001;
    peer-as 65000;

    # Address families
    family {
        ipv4 unicast;
        ipv4 flow;
    }

    # Static routes (conf-* examples)
    static {
        route 10.0.0.0/24 next-hop 192.168.1.1;
    }

    # FlowSpec rules (conf-flow* examples)
    flow {
        route rule-name {
            match { source 10.0.0.0/8; }
            then { discard; }
        }
    }

    # API configuration (api-* examples)
    api {
        processes [ process-name ];
    }
}

Common Example Patterns

Pattern 1: Health Check + Anycast

Example: example-healthcheck.conf

Purpose: Announce service IP when healthy, withdraw when unhealthy.

Components:

  • Built-in healthcheck module
  • Curl-based service check
  • Automatic route withdrawal on failure

Use case: High availability anycast services (DNS, load balancers, CDN).

Pattern 2: FlowSpec DDoS Mitigation

Example: conf-flow.conf, api-flow.conf

Purpose: Block or redirect malicious traffic using FlowSpec.

Components:

  • Match conditions (source, destination, port, protocol)
  • Actions (discard, rate-limit, redirect)
  • Extended community support

Use case: DDoS mitigation, traffic filtering, security automation.

Pattern 3: L3VPN/MPLS

Example: conf-vpn.conf, api-vpnv4.conf

Purpose: Advertise VPN routes with route distinguishers and targets.

Components:

  • Route distinguishers (RD)
  • Route targets (RT)
  • VPNv4/VPNv6 address families

Use case: Enterprise WAN, service provider MPLS networks.

Pattern 4: Route Reflection

Example: api-rr.conf, api-rr-rib.conf

Purpose: Reflect routes between IBGP peers without full mesh.

Components:

  • Route reflector configuration
  • RIB maintenance
  • IBGP peering

Use case: IBGP scaling, topology collection.

How to Use Examples

Step 1: Choose Your Example

  1. New to ExaBGP? Start with Beginner Examples
  2. Need dynamic control? Check API Examples
  3. Static configuration? See Configuration Examples
  4. Specific use case? Browse By Use Case

Step 2: Copy and Adapt

Basic workflow:

# Copy example
cp /etc/exabgp/parse-simple-v4.conf /etc/exabgp/myconfig.conf

# Edit configuration
vim /etc/exabgp/myconfig.conf

# Change:
# - Neighbor IP (127.0.0.1 → your BGP neighbor)
# - Local AS / Peer AS
# - Router ID
# - Routes to announce

# Test configuration
exabgp /etc/exabgp/myconfig.conf --test

# Run ExaBGP
exabgp /etc/exabgp/myconfig.conf

Step 3: Test Configuration

Validate syntax before running:

# Check configuration syntax
exabgp /etc/exabgp/myconfig.conf --test

# Check with verbose output
exabgp /etc/exabgp/myconfig.conf --test -d

See also: Debugging Guide

Step 4: Run and Monitor

# Run in foreground (for testing)
exabgp /etc/exabgp/myconfig.conf

# Run with debug output
exabgp /etc/exabgp/myconfig.conf -d

# Run in background (production)
exabgp /etc/exabgp/myconfig.conf &

See also: Monitoring Guide

Example Combinations

Combine Multiple Patterns

You can combine multiple examples in one configuration:

Example: Health check + FlowSpec + Multiple neighbors

# Health check process
process healthcheck {
    run python3 -m exabgp healthcheck --cmd "curl http://localhost";
    encoder text;
}

# FlowSpec process
process flowspec {
    run /etc/exabgp/scripts/ddos-detect.py;
    encoder text;
}

# Neighbor 1: Announce anycast IP when healthy
neighbor 192.168.1.1 {
    router-id 192.168.1.2;
    local-as 65001;
    peer-as 65001;

    family { ipv4 unicast; }
    api { processes [ healthcheck ]; }
}

# Neighbor 2: Announce FlowSpec rules
neighbor 192.168.2.1 {
    router-id 192.168.1.2;
    local-as 65001;
    peer-as 65001;

    family { ipv4 flow; }
    api { processes [ flowspec ]; }
}

See also: Production Best Practices

Quick Reference Summary

Category Count Description
Total Examples 86 All configuration examples
API Examples 37 Dynamic route control via API
Static Config 35 No API required
Parsing/Testing 11 Validation and testing
Beginner 6 Easy getting started
Intermediate 15 Common production patterns
Advanced 20+ Complex multi-service scenarios

See Also

Documentation

Use Cases

Address Families

Operations

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