# Using OpenStack Network

Before working with the Network service, you’ll need to create a connection to your OpenStack cloud by following the Connect user guide. This will provide you with the `conn` variable used in the examples below.

The primary resource of the Network service is the network.

## List Networks

A network is an isolated Layer 2 networking segment. There are two types of networks, project and provider networks. Project networks are fully isolated and are not shared with other projects. Provider networks map to existing physical networks in the data center and provide external network access for servers. Only an OpenStack administrator can create provider networks. Networks can be connected via routers.

Full example: network resource list

## List Subnets

A subnet is a block of IP addresses and associated configuration state. Subnets are used to allocate IP addresses when new ports are created on a network.

Full example: network resource list

## List Ports

A port is a connection point for attaching a single device, such as the NIC of a server, to a network. The port also describes the associated network configuration, such as the MAC and IP addresses to be used on that port.

Full example: network resource list

## List Security Groups

A security group acts as a virtual firewall for servers. It is a container for security group rules which specify the type of network traffic and direction that is allowed to pass through a port.

Full example: network resource list

## List Routers

A router is a logical component that forwards data packets between networks. It also provides Layer 3 and NAT forwarding to provide external network access for servers on project networks.

Full example: network resource list

## List Network Agents

A network agent is a plugin that handles various tasks used to implement virtual networks. These agents include neutron-dhcp-agent, neutron-l3-agent, neutron-metering-agent, and neutron-lbaas-agent, among others.

Full example: network resource list

## Create Network

Create a project network and subnet. This network can be used when creating a server and allows the server to communicate with others servers on the same project network.

Full example: network resource create

## Open a Port

When creating a security group for a network, you will need to open certain ports to allow communication via them. For example, you may need to enable HTTPS access on port 443.

Full example: network security group create

## Accept Pings

In order to ping a machine on your network within a security group, you will need to create a rule to allow inbound ICMP packets.

Full example: network security group create

## Delete Network

Delete a project network and its subnets.

Full example: network resource delete

this page last updated: 2026-01-16 23:06:19

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