How to use the command 'netsh interface portproxy' (with examples)

Netsh is a command-line scripting utility in Windows that allows you to configure and display the status of various network components. The ’netsh interface portproxy’ command specifically allows you to configure port forwarding settings. This can be useful in scenarios where you need to redirect traffic from one IP address and port to another IP address and port.

Use case 1: Display the current port forwarding setup

Code:

netsh interface portproxy show all

Motivation: You may want to check the current port forwarding setup on your system to ensure that the redirects are configured correctly and are working as expected.

Explanation: The ’netsh interface portproxy show all’ command retrieves and displays all the current port forwarding configurations that have been set up on the system.

Example output:

Listen on ipv4:             Connect to ipv4:

Address         Port        Address         Port
--------------- ----------  --------------- ----------
192.168.0.1     8080        10.0.0.1        80

Use case 2: Set up IPv4 port forwarding

Code:

netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenaddress=192.168.0.1 listenport=8080 connectaddress=10.0.0.1 connectport=80

Motivation: You may need to set up port forwarding to redirect traffic from one specific IPv4 address and port to another IPv4 address and port. This can be useful, for example, when you have a web server running on one machine and want to redirect incoming requests from a specific IP address to that server.

Explanation: In this command, the ’netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4’ statement is used to add a new IPv4 port forwarding configuration. The ’listenaddress’ parameter specifies the IP address to listen on, while ’listenport’ specifies the port to listen on. ‘connectaddress’ specifies the IP address to connect to, and ‘connectport’ specifies the port to connect to.

Example output:

Ok.

Use case 3: Remove IPv4 port forwarding

Code:

netsh interface portproxy delete v4tov4 listenaddress=192.168.0.1 listenport=8080

Motivation: If you no longer need a specific IPv4 port forwarding configuration, you can use this command to remove it. This can be useful when you want to clean up or modify your existing port forwarding settings.

Explanation: The ’netsh interface portproxy delete v4tov4’ command is used to remove an existing IPv4 port forwarding configuration. The ’listenaddress’ parameter specifies the IP address that was being listened on, and ’listenport’ specifies the port that was being listened on.

Example output:

Ok.

Use case 4: Display help

Code:

netsh interface portproxy

Motivation: If you need a quick reference for the available command options and usage syntax, you can use this command to display the help information.

Explanation: By running the ’netsh interface portproxy’ command without any arguments, you will get a list of available commands and their usages related to port forwarding.

Example output:

The following commands are available:

Commands in this context:
show all                - Show all port forwarding configurations.
add v4tov4              - Add an IPv4 port forwarding configuration.
delete v4tov4           - Delete an IPv4 port forwarding configuration.
...

Conclusion:

The ’netsh interface portproxy’ command is a powerful tool for configuring and managing port forwarding settings in Windows. It allows you to redirect traffic from one IP address and port to another, making it useful in a variety of networking scenarios. By understanding the different use cases and commands available, you can effectively use ’netsh interface portproxy’ to control your network traffic and optimize your network setup.