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ipconfig for macOS

ipconfig gives macOS a Windows-style view of its current TCP/IP configuration. It uses macOS System Configuration data for service, DNS, DHCP, and routing details instead of treating /etc/resolv.conf as the source of truth.

Windows IP Configuration

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix . .  :
   IPv4 Address . . . . . . . . . . .  : 192.168.0.20
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

What it supports

• ipconfig for the Windows-style basic adapter view
• ipconfig /all for host, MAC, DHCP, DNS, IPv4/IPv6, lease, and disconnected adapter details, including DHCPv6 DUID/IAID when macOS exposes them
• ipconfig '/?', ipconfig -h, or ipconfig help for help
• /release, /renew, /release6, and /renew6 with optional adapter names or * wildcard matching
• /displaydns for available macOS Host cache entries
• /flushdns for the macOS Directory Service and mDNSResponder caches
• -interface <pattern> with case-insensitive * wildcard matching
• -json for stable machine-readable adapter data
• Physical, bridge, VPN, and disconnected macOS network services
• IPv6 link-local scope IDs and per-service DNS configuration

Windows-only concepts with no faithful macOS equivalent—/registerdns, DHCP class IDs, and network compartments—return Not applicable on macOS instead of pretending to succeed. /all uses the same wording for NetBIOS and WINS.

Install

Homebrew

brew tap ashcastle/mip
brew install ashcastle/mip/ipconfig
hash -r

Verify which command your shell will run:

command -v ipconfig
type -a ipconfig

The first result should normally be /opt/homebrew/bin/ipconfig on Apple Silicon or /usr/local/bin/ipconfig on Intel. If /usr/sbin/ipconfig still appears first, initialize Homebrew in your shell and start a new login shell:

eval "$(brew shellenv)"
exec "$SHELL" -l

Go

go install github.com/ashcastle/homebrew-mip/cmd/ipconfig@latest

Ensure $(go env GOPATH)/bin precedes /usr/sbin in PATH.

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/ashcastle/homebrew-mip.git
cd homebrew-mip
go build -o ipconfig ./cmd/ipconfig
./ipconfig /all

Usage

ipconfig
ipconfig /all
ipconfig /renew en0
ipconfig /renew 'Wi*'
ipconfig /release6 en0
ipconfig /displaydns
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig -interface en0
ipconfig -interface 'en*'
ipconfig -json
ipconfig -h
ipconfig help

Quote /? and wildcard arguments in zsh because the shell otherwise treats ? and * as filename patterns:

ipconfig '/?'
ipconfig /\?
ipconfig -interface 'utun*'

JSON output is an array of normalized adapter objects and contains no banner or diagnostics.

Administrator actions

Cache and DHCP actions require administrator privileges on macOS. Resolve this project's executable before invoking sudo, because the administrator's PATH may otherwise select Apple's unrelated /usr/sbin/ipconfig:

sudo "$(command -v ipconfig)" /renew en0
sudo "$(command -v ipconfig)" /displaydns
sudo "$(command -v ipconfig)" /flushdns

The DHCP mappings use Apple's /usr/sbin/ipconfig set interface:

• /release → NONE
• /renew → DHCP
• /release6 → NONE-V6
• /renew6 → AUTOMATIC-V6

Apple documents this interface for test and debugging use. Actions without an adapter target every eligible configured adapter, matching Windows behavior. Use a specific adapter when you do not intend to affect every DHCP service. /flushdns runs dscacheutil -flushcache and then sends HUP to mDNSResponder; failure in either step is reported.

macOS command-name conflict

macOS includes an unrelated low-level command at /usr/sbin/ipconfig. Homebrew normally places its bin directory earlier in PATH, allowing this project to provide the interactive ipconfig command.

The Apple command remains available explicitly:

/usr/sbin/ipconfig

Architecture

The CLI and network collection code are separated:

• internal/networkconfig normalizes interfaces and macOS System Configuration records into a testable network model.
• Network actions use a separate injectable executor, so command paths, privileges, adapter eligibility, failures, and ordering are tested without releasing a real lease or flushing the live cache.
• internal/ipconfig parses Windows-compatible syntax and renders text or JSON.
• macOS collection uses net.Interfaces, /usr/sbin/scutil, and /usr/sbin/networksetup. Missing optional records do not fail the entire command.
• Non-macOS builds return a clear unsupported-platform error.

Development

go test ./...
go test -race ./...
go vet ./...
go build ./cmd/ipconfig

The automated test suite never releases an active lease, renews an interface, or flushes the live DNS cache.

License

GPL-2.0