:lastproofread: 2025-09-04

.. _vpp_config_interfaces_bridge:

.. include:: /_include/need_improvement.txt

########################
VPP Bridge Configuration
########################

VPP bridge interfaces provide Layer 2 switching functionality, allowing multiple interfaces to be connected at the data link layer.

VPP bridges operate as learning bridges, automatically discovering MAC addresses and building forwarding tables to efficiently switch traffic between member interfaces. This provides transparent connectivity between different network segments while maintaining the performance benefits of VPP's optimized data plane.

**Supported Member Interface Types:**

VPP bridges support various interface types as members:

* Physical Ethernet interfaces (managed through linux-cp)
* :doc:`bonding` - VPP bonding interfaces  
* :doc:`gre` - GRE tunnel interfaces
* :doc:`loopback` - Loopback interfaces (required for BVI)
* :doc:`vxlan` - VXLAN tunnel interfaces

This flexibility allows you to create complex Layer 2 topologies combining different networking technologies.

Basic Configuration
-------------------

Creating a Bridge Interface
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. cfgcmd:: set vpp interfaces bridge <brN>

   Create a bridge interface where ``<brN>`` follows the naming convention br1, br2, etc.

.. note::

   Bridge domain br0 is reserved by VPP and cannot be configured through VyOS. Start with br1 for your bridge configurations.

**Example:**

.. code-block:: none

   set vpp interfaces bridge br1


Interface Description
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. cfgcmd:: set vpp interfaces bridge <brN> description <description>

   Set a descriptive name for the bridge interface.

**Example:**

.. code-block:: none

   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 description "Main campus bridge"

Administrative Control
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. cfgcmd:: set vpp interfaces bridge <brN> disable

   Administratively disable the bridge interface. By default, bridge interfaces are enabled when created.

Member Interface Configuration
------------------------------

Adding Member Interfaces
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. cfgcmd:: set vpp interfaces bridge <brN> member interface <interface-name>

   Add an interface as a member of the bridge.

**Examples:**

.. code-block:: none

   # Add physical interfaces
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface eth0
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface eth1
   
   # Add other VPP interfaces
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface bond0
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface gre1

.. important::

   Bridge members can include various interface types such as:
   
   * Physical Ethernet interfaces (eth0, eth1, etc.)
   * :doc:`bonding` - VPP bonding interfaces (bond0, bond1, etc.)
   * :doc:`gre` - GRE tunnel interfaces
   * :doc:`loopback` - Loopback interfaces
   * :doc:`vxlan` - VXLAN tunnel interfaces

Bridge Virtual Interface (BVI)
------------------------------

A Bridge Virtual Interface (BVI) provides Layer 3 connectivity to a bridge domain, allowing the bridge to have an IP address and participate in routing.

Configuring BVI
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. cfgcmd:: set vpp interfaces bridge <brN> member interface <loopback-interface> bvi

   Designate a loopback interface as the Bridge Virtual Interface for the bridge domain.

**Example:**

.. code-block:: none

   # Create a loopback interface first
   set vpp interfaces loopback lo1
   
   # Add it to the bridge as BVI
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface lo1 bvi

.. important::

   **BVI Restrictions:**
   
   * Only loopback interfaces can be configured as BVI
   * Each bridge domain can have only one BVI interface

Configuration Examples
----------------------

Basic Bridge Setup
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: none

   # Create bridge interface
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 description "Office network bridge"
   
   # Add member interfaces
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface eth0
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface eth1
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface eth2

Bridge with BVI
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: none

   # Create bridge and loopback for BVI
   set vpp interfaces bridge br2
   set vpp interfaces bridge br2 description "Server segment with gateway"
   set vpp interfaces loopback lo1
   
   # Configure bridge members
   set vpp interfaces bridge br2 member interface eth3
   set vpp interfaces bridge br2 member interface eth4
   set vpp interfaces bridge br2 member interface lo1 bvi

Multi-Technology Bridge
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: none

   # Create bridge combining different interface types
   set vpp interfaces bridge br3
   set vpp interfaces bridge br3 description "Hybrid network bridge"
   
   # Add various interface types
   set vpp interfaces bridge br3 member interface bond1
   set vpp interfaces bridge br3 member interface gre1
   set vpp interfaces bridge br3 member interface vxlan1
   set vpp interfaces bridge br3 member interface lo2 bvi

Integration with Kernel Interfaces
----------------------------------

Bridge interfaces can be integrated with kernel interfaces for management and compatibility with standard Linux networking services. This is accomplished by binding a kernel interface to the Bridge Virtual Interface (BVI).

For detailed information about kernel interface integration, see :doc:`kernel`.

**Example Integration:**

.. code-block:: none

   # Create VPP bridge with member interfaces
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface eth1
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface eth2
   
   # Create loopback interface and configure as BVI
   set vpp interfaces loopback lo1
   set vpp interfaces bridge br1 member interface lo1 bvi
   
   # Bind kernel interface to the BVI loopback
   set vpp interfaces loopback lo1 kernel-interface 'vpptun1'
   set vpp kernel-interfaces vpptun1 address '192.0.2.1/24'

This configuration creates a kernel interface bound to the BVI, allowing standard Linux applications and routing daemons to interact with the VPP bridge. The kernel interface provides Layer 3 access to the bridge domain.