# netlab 2.0: Routers, Hosts, Gateways and Bridges

DevFeed: [netlab 2.0: Routers, Hosts, Gateways and Bridges](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/netlab-2-0-routers-hosts-gateways-and-bridges-11203.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ipspace.net/2025/06/netlab-hosts-routers/>)

Published: 2025-06-11T06:20:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [ipSpace.net blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ipspace-net-blog.md>)

Topics: [networking](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/networking.md>), [Network architectures](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/network-architectures.md>), [Routing (disambiguation)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/routing.md>), [BGP](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bgp.md>), [Cisco](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cisco.md>), [Containers](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/containers.md>), [Test coverage](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/coverage.md>)

Tags: [bgp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bgp.md>), [bridge](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bridge.md>), [cisco](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cisco.md>), [container](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/container.md>), [netlab](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/netlab.md>), [network](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network.md>), [router](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/router.md>), [routing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/routing.md>), [test-coverage](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/test-coverage.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains how netlab 2.0 models routers, hosts, gateways, and bridges in network topologies. It describes their forwarding behavior, loopback interfaces, routing choices, IPv6 router advertisements, VLAN support, and possible uses of Cisco IOS, Arista EOS, BGP, and container-based devices.

## Source excerpt

In a previous blog post, I explained how you can use bridges in a netlab topology to create custom LAN segments. Netlab supports two other node roles (host and router), and we'll eventually add gateways. netlab assumes that most network devices are routers (it considers a firewall to be a router in disguise), apart from Linux hosts, but you can always change what a node is with the role node attribute: Read more ...