libnlbased

libnlbased is a software library intended to provide a cohesive base for building netlink-based networking tools on Linux. It is designed to complement the libnl project by offering higher-level abstractions that simplify common tasks such as message construction, attribute handling, and asynchronous communication with kernel netlink subsystems. By building on libnl’s core primitives, libnlbased aims to reduce boilerplate while retaining fine-grained control when needed.

Architecture and API design

At its core, libnlbased exposes a modular API around a netlink session object, a generic message builder, and a set of convenience utilities for frequently used netlink families such as route, link, and neighbor. The library supports an event-driven model, enabling applications to issue requests and register callbacks for responses or kernel events. It emphasizes robust error reporting, timeouts, and retry strategies, and includes helpers for attribute encoding and decoding to align with kernel expectations.

Use cases and developer workflow

Developers can write netlink clients with less boilerplate, focusing on domain logic rather than protocol details. The API is designed to be forward-compatible with newer libnl versions while offering optional components for advanced users who require low-level access. The project aims to be portable across Linux distributions and kernels that expose standard netlink interfaces, supporting both synchronous and asynchronous programming styles.

History and status

Libnlbased is an open-source project developed through community collaboration. Public repositories typically host source code, documentation, and release notes describing API changes, compatibility guarantees, and contributed components.