---
title: dhcp plugin
description: "plugins/ipam/dhcp/README.md"
date: 2020-11-02
toc: true
draft: false
weight: 200
---

## Overview

With dhcp plugin the containers can get an IP allocated by a DHCP server already running on your network.
This can be especially useful with plugin types such as [macvlan](/plugins/current/main/macvlan/).
Because a DHCP lease must be periodically renewed for the duration of container lifetime, a separate daemon is required to be running.
The same plugin binary can also be run in the daemon mode.

## Operation
To use the dhcp IPAM plugin, first launch the dhcp daemon:

```
# Make sure the unix socket has been removed
$ rm -f /run/cni/dhcp.sock
$ ./dhcp daemon
```

If given `-pidfile <path>` arguments after 'daemon', the dhcp plugin will write
its PID to the given file.  
If given `-hostprefix <prefix>` arguments after 'daemon', the dhcp plugin will
use this prefix for DHCP socket as `<prefix>/run/cni/dhcp.sock`. You can use
this prefix for references to the host filesystem, e.g. to access netns and the
unix socket.  
If given `-broadcast=true` argument after 'daemon', the dhcp plugin will
enable the broadcast flag on DHCP packets.  
If given `-timeout <duration>` arguments after 'daemon', the dhcp daemon will
time out unanswered dhcp requests after this duration, defaults to `10s`.

Alternatively, you can use systemd socket activation protocol.
Be sure that the .socket file uses /run/cni/dhcp.sock as the socket path.

With the daemon running, containers using the dhcp plugin can be launched.

## Example configuration

```json
{
	"ipam": {
		"type": "dhcp"
	}
}
```

## Network configuration reference

* `type` (string, required): "dhcp"