Install bgpq3 with Homebrew, apt, dnf, Nix

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• bgpq3

Project history

The public repository history begins in 2007 with a commit described as a complete rewrite of bgpq, making bgpq3 the maintained successor in that small family of IRR-to-router-policy tools. The README documents output modes for Cisco, Juniper, BIRD, OpenBGPD, Nokia SR OS, Huawei, JSON, and user-defined formats, reflecting years of operator-driven feature accretion rather than a one-time utility script.

The changelog shows bgpq3 tracking the operational realities of BGP: 32-bit ASNs, AS23456 transition handling, private/documentation ASNs, IPv6, route-server behavior, vendor-specific syntax, and IRRd query behavior. Later releases added and refined OpenBGPD, Nokia, Huawei, Juniper route-filter-list, mixed address-family, and JunOS as-list support.

Adoption history

The package has escaped a single-source niche: the input metadata lists packages in Homebrew, Debian, Fedora/DNF, Nix, and Ubuntu. The changelog also credits reports or contributions from network operators and routing-tool maintainers including Job Snijders, Claudio Jeker, Denis Fondras, and others, which is the adoption pattern typical of infrastructure CLI tools.

How it is used

Operators invoke bgpq3 with ASNs, AS sets, route sets, or prefixes and choose output flags for the target routing platform. Common use cases include generating Juniper prefix lists, Cisco prefix lists or AS-path access lists, BIRD filters, OpenBGPD sets, JSON output, and filtered IRR source queries against a whois/IRRd server.

Why package nerds care

For package and network-ops nerds, bgpq3 is valuable because it packages an awkward operational workflow into a reproducible Unix command: pull IRR objects, expand recursive AS sets, aggregate prefixes when possible, and emit router configuration that can be reviewed or automated. It sits at the intersection of package-manager convenience and BGP hygiene.

Timeline

• 2007: Public repository history starts with a complete rewrite of bgpq into bgpq3.
• 2014: BIRD output support and JSON/as-path improvements appear in the changelog.
• 2016: OpenBGPD output support lands.
• 2018: Nokia SR OS, Huawei output, OpenBGPD prefix-set, and Juniper route-filter-list work are recorded.
• 2021: Version 0.1.36 adds route-server import AS-path handling and more vendor fixes.
• 2025: Version 0.1.38 updates IRRd answer handling and JunOS as-list support.

Related projects

• bgpq4 is the direct successor/fork line for users who want the newer bgpq implementation. Related routing targets and data sources include IRRd/RADB-style IRR databases, BIRD, OpenBGPD, Cisco IOS/IOS XR, Juniper JunOS, Nokia SR OS, and Huawei router syntax.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/snar/bgpq3
• https://github.com/snar/bgpq3#readme
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/snar/bgpq3/master/CHANGES
• input.source_facts.package-manager