Setting Up Static IP Address on FreeBSD

Switching from dynamic DHCP to a static IP ensures your machine remains reachable at the exact same address after every reboot. A predictable IP simplifies SSH access, service hosting, and system management, which is why it is one of the first things I configure on my FreeBSD (and Linux) instances. In this guide, I will show you how to set it up.

Prerequisites

Root access.
Target IPv4 address, subnet mask, and default gateway details.

Identify the Active Network Interface

Look for the interface marked with status: active and an assigned IP address (e.g., em0, vtnet0, igb0, or re0):

ifconfig

Configure /etc/rc.conf

Edit /etc/rc.conf using a text editor. Replace ifconfig_em0"DHCP"= (or add the parameters if no entry exists) with your explicit network configurations so that it looks similar to the following:

hostname="typhon"
ifconfig_em0="inet 192.168.2.107 netmask 255.255.255.0"
ifconfig_em0_ipv6="inet6 accept_rtadv"
sshd_enable="YES"
moused_nondefault_enable="NO"
# Set dumpdev to "AUTO" to enable crash dumps, "NO" to disable
dumpdev="AUTO"
zfs_enable="YES"
defaultrouter="192.168.2.1"

Configure DNS Resolution

Add valid nameservers in /etc/resolv.conf, as DHCP will no longer auto-populate these entries.

For example:

nameserver 1.1.1.1
nameserver 8.8.8.8

Apply the Changes

You can apply your changes by rebooting your machine or, better yet, without restarting by running:

service netif restart && service routing restart