How to Create and Use MacVLAN Network in Docker

In Docker, a common question that usually comes up is “How do I expose my containers directly to my local physical network?” This is especially so when you are running monitoring applications that are collecting network statistics and want to connect container to legacy applications. A possible solution to this question is to create and implement the macvlan network type.

Macvlan networks are special virtual networks that allow you to create “clones” of the physical network interface attached to your Linux servers and attach containers directly your LAN. To ensure this happens, simple designate a physical network interface on your server to a macvlan network which has its own subnet and gateway.

In this guide, we will demonstrate how you can create and use mavlan networks in Docker. But before you get started, here are a few things that you should keep in mind:

NOTE:

• Macvlan networks are usually blocked by most Cloud service providers. Hence, you need physical access to your server.
• The macvlan network driver only works on Linux hosts. It is not supported on Windows or mac devices.
  
• You need to be running on Linux kernel 4.0 and later.

In this guide, we will use Ubuntu 20.04 to demonstrate how to create and use macvlan networks. As a prerequisite, we have Docker installed. We have a guide on how to install Docker on Ubuntu 20.04.

Creating a macvlan network

A macvlan network can be created either in bridge mode and or 802.1q trunk mode.

In bridge mode, the macvlan traffic is channeled through the physical interface on the Linux host.

In the 802.1q trunk bridge mode, traffic passes through an 802.1q sub-interface which is created by Docker. This allows for controlled routing and filtering at a granular level.

With that out of the way, let us now see how you can create each of the macvlan networks.