enp0s3

enp0s3 is a Linux network interface name assigned to an Ethernet device under the predictable network interface naming scheme used by udev and systemd. It is commonly seen as the default identifier for the first PCI-based Ethernet controller in a system or virtual machine, and is frequently the primary interface in many Ubuntu, Debian, and other Linux images.

The name encodes the hardware location of the device rather than its order of appearance. In this scheme, the prefix en indicates Ethernet, the following p signals a PCI-based device, and the subsequent numbers reflect the device’s PCI domain, bus, and slot/function, respectively. The exact mapping to a physical PCI address depends on the hardware and virtualization environment; a commonly cited mapping associates enp0s3 with a specific PCI address on the host, but it can vary.

To view or manage enp0s3, you can use standard Linux networking tools. For example, run ip addr show enp0s3 or ip link show enp0s3 to inspect its status and configuration. Bring the interface up with sudo ip link set enp0s3 up. If you need an IP address via DHCP, you can use sudo dhclient enp0s3 or configure it through a higher-level tool such as Netplan, NetworkManager, or systemd-networkd, depending on the distribution.

In virtualization and cloud environments, enp0s3 is frequently the interface presented to a virtual machine by the hypervisor, and its exact behavior can depend on the VM configuration and the host’s networking setup. If needed, the name can be remapped or renamed using udev rules or network management services, though such changes may affect scripts or configurations that reference the old identifier.