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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11An active firewall with an empty iptables -L listing is not necessarily a security failure. On a current Linux system, the policy may be enforced by nftables, represented through firewalld or ufw, stored only in a different runtime or permanent configuration, or attached to another network hook. Start with the kernel’s complete ruleset: sudo nft list ruleset. Then identify the manager that owns those rules and inspect its view.
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Do not flush anything while diagnosing a remote machine. Save the current ruleset and manager output first, and test connectivity from a separate system whenever possible.
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iptables -L is only one view of packet-filtering policy. It displays rules exposed through the iptables interface selected on that host; it does not guarantee that every firewall rule in the kernel is represented there. A distribution can run firewalld or ufw as a management layer and use nftables underneath. Containers, virtual-machine tooling and other networking software can also install independent chains or hooks.
Therefore, treat an empty listing as a question about visibility, not as proof that the host has no firewall. The authoritative first check for a possible nftables ruleset is:
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sudo nft list rulesetRun it with root privileges so that you can see all tables, chains, rules, hooks and counters permitted by the system. If this command shows filtering chains while iptables -L does not, the mismatch is explained by the management interface or backend rather than by an inactive firewall.
Preserve evidence before changing anything
Firewall diagnosis can lock you out of a server. In particular, flushing rules, restarting a manager or reloading a configuration can remove a runtime rule that currently permits your SSH session. Before making changes:
- Capture
sudo nft list rulesetto a file or terminal log. - Capture both IPv4 and IPv6 compatibility views with
sudo iptables -Sandsudo ip6tables -S. - Save the relevant firewalld zone output or the result of
sudo ufw status verbose, depending on the manager. - Keep an existing console, out-of-band, or second administrative session open until connectivity has been tested.
- Perform tests from another host rather than relying only on a local connection, which can follow a different path.
Do not use a rule-flush command as a diagnostic shortcut on a remote host. First establish which layer owns the policy and whether the rule is runtime-only.
Step 1: identify the firewall manager and backend
Several managers can be installed at once, although normally one is responsible for the host’s intended policy. Check service state without assuming that a unit exists on every distribution:
systemctl is-active firewalld
systemctl is-active ufw
systemctl is-active nftablesAn answer of active identifies a running service; inactive, failed or an unknown-unit message means that service is not currently providing a useful explanation. A running manager is not, by itself, proof that its rules are the ones handling a particular interface, so continue with the manager-specific checks below.
When firewalld is installed
Ask firewalld directly whether its daemon is running:
sudo firewall-cmd --stateThe command prints running when the daemon is active and returns a status code that can be used in scripts. Next discover which zones are actually bound to interfaces or source addresses:
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sudo firewall-cmd --get-active-zonesThe output can contain more than one zone. Record every zone and the interfaces or sources listed beneath it; inspecting only the default zone can miss the policy applied to the traffic you are troubleshooting.
When ufw is installed
ufw is a frontend for both iptables and nftables. Its status is therefore a management-layer summary, not a replacement for the kernel inspection:
sudo ufw status verboseUse the output to identify whether ufw believes filtering is enabled, which default policies are configured and which application rules it owns. Reconcile that information with sudo nft list ruleset, because an nftables backend can contain details that an iptables listing does not show.
When the nftables service is the owner
If nftables is active and neither firewalld nor ufw is managing the intended policy, the rules are commonly loaded from the system’s nftables configuration. Inspect the live ruleset rather than only reading a configuration file: the live output includes rules inserted by services after boot and shows the hooks currently attached to packet processing.
Step 2: inspect the kernel’s complete ruleset
Run:
sudo nft list rulesetRead the result from the outside in:
- Tables: identify the address family and table names. A ruleset can contain separate IPv4, IPv6 or combined-family tables.
- Base chains: look for chains with hooks such as
input,forwardoroutput. A chain without a hook may be called by another chain but does not receive packets directly. - Policies and rules: note the chain’s default policy and explicit actions such as
accept,droporreject. - Conditions: check interface names, addresses, ports, connection state and sets. A rule may apply only to one interface or address family.
- Counters: packet and byte counters show whether traffic has reached a rule since the counters were last reset. A zero counter is evidence about observed traffic, not proof that the rule is unused forever.
If the output contains base chains with a drop policy or explicit filtering rules, the host is enforcing policy even if the compatibility command is empty. If it contains only tables with no relevant hooks or filtering actions, the active service may be managing a different backend, or the policy may not have been loaded as expected.
Step 3: compare legacy and compatibility views
Use rule specifications rather than the formatted list view to make the comparison unambiguous:
sudo iptables -S
sudo ip6tables -Siptables -S shows IPv4 rules exposed through the iptables command, while ip6tables -S shows the IPv6 side. An empty IPv4 result says nothing about IPv6 filtering, and the reverse is also true. Compare both outputs with the nftables ruleset and note whether the commands point to a legacy implementation or an nftables compatibility implementation on your distribution.
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A rule inserted through an iptables compatibility path may be visible in iptables -S yet still interact with nftables chains elsewhere. Conversely, firewalld’s nftables primitives can be absent from the legacy view. The two commands are useful evidence about compatibility rules, but they are not a substitute for the kernel-level nftables listing.
Step 4: inspect firewalld’s active zones and both configuration states
After --get-active-zones identifies the zones, inspect each one explicitly:
sudo firewall-cmd --zone=<zone> --list-allReplace <zone> with every zone name shown on your host. This view reports the zone’s interfaces, sources, services, ports, protocols, forwarding settings and rich rules in the current runtime configuration. It explains what firewalld is applying now, rather than what a legacy iptables command happens to display.
Firewalld separates runtime configuration from permanent configuration. To inspect what will be restored or used after a reload, request the permanent view for the same zone:
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=<zone> --list-allDifferences between the two outputs are significant:
- A rule present only in the runtime view can disappear after a reload or service restart.
- A rule present only in the permanent view may not be active until the configuration is reloaded.
- The interface can be assigned to a different zone than you assumed, so a correctly configured service rule may still not apply to that interface.
Use sudo firewall-cmd --runtime-to-permanent only when you have deliberately tested the runtime configuration and intend to save it. It copies runtime changes into permanent configuration; it is not a harmless inspection command.
Step 5: account for IPv6, bridges and additional hooks
Firewall policy is not necessarily one IPv4 input chain. Firewalld supports IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet bridges and IP sets, and nftables can attach several base chains at different hooks. Check the interface carrying the traffic, the address family used by the client and whether forwarding or bridging is involved.
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An apparent accept in one layer does not guarantee that the packet will be delivered. Firewalld’s direct-rule documentation warns that, with an nftables backend, a packet accepted by a direct iptables rule can still be processed by nftables rules. The reverse problem also occurs: a rule visible in an nftables chain may not be represented in the iptables compatibility output.
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For a connection that works over IPv4 but fails over IPv6, compare the service’s IPv4 and IPv6 listeners and inspect both rulesets. For a container or virtual machine, inspect forwarding chains and bridge-related hooks as well as the host’s ordinary input policy.
Why the views disagree
nftables is enforcing policy beneath a frontend
Modern distributions commonly use nftables primitives for firewalld. Firewalld’s zones and services are an abstraction over those primitives, so the rules that matter to the kernel may have no one-to-one representation in iptables -L. Fedora’s documented transition distinguishes nftables-backed firewalld primitives from direct rules that can continue to use iptables or ebtables. This mixed arrangement is a normal reason for apparently contradictory output.
The command is showing a different layer
firewalld and ufw describe intended management policy: zones, services, application rules and defaults. nft list ruleset describes the loaded kernel objects. iptables -S and ip6tables -S describe compatibility rules. These are complementary views with different scopes, not three interchangeable status commands.
Runtime and permanent settings are separate
A configuration can be correct on disk but not loaded, or effective now but not saved. A reload can replace runtime-only changes with permanent settings. Always compare the two firewalld views when a rule seems to vanish or when a change does not take effect.
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Other software installed its own chains
Container engines, virtualization stacks, VPN software and security agents can add tables, chains or hooks without placing their policy in the manager’s zone summary. Their rules may affect forwarding or traffic on a bridge rather than ordinary host input. The complete nftables output is where these independent objects become visible.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which inspection method answers which question?
| Inspection | Layer shown | Address-family coverage | State or abstraction | What it can miss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
sudo nft list ruleset |
Live kernel nftables tables, chains, hooks, rules and counters | Depends on the tables present; can include IPv4, IPv6 or both | Raw enforcement detail | Rules implemented outside nftables, such as a separate legacy path |
sudo iptables -S |
IPv4 iptables or compatibility rules | IPv4 only | Rawer than a frontend, but limited to its selected backend | Native nftables rules not exposed through that interface |
sudo ip6tables -S |
IPv6 iptables or compatibility rules | IPv6 only | Compatibility-layer detail | Native nftables rules and IPv4 policy |
firewall-cmd --get-active-zones |
firewalld bindings | Zones can cover IPv4, IPv6 and bridges | Current zone/interface assignment | Rules installed independently by other software |
firewall-cmd --zone=<zone> --list-all |
One firewalld zone | Depends on the zone’s configuration | Runtime zone abstraction | Permanent-only changes and rules outside firewalld |
firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=<zone> --list-all |
Saved firewalld zone configuration | Depends on the zone’s configuration | Persistent state, not necessarily loaded state | Runtime-only rules and independent hooks |
sudo ufw status verbose |
ufw’s policy summary | Reports the rules ufw manages; reconcile both families with the backend | Frontend abstraction and defaults | Details created directly in nftables or by other managers |
Common symptoms and the next check
“The firewall service is active, but nftables is empty.”
Confirm which service is active and inspect its own status. A running firewalld daemon may have no meaningful active-zone binding, or a configuration may have failed to load. For ufw, compare its verbose status with the kernel output. If all views are empty, check service logs and the intended configuration source rather than assuming that the word “active” means packets are being filtered.
“A port is open despite a drop rule.”
Verify the destination address family and interface first. Then follow the packet through the relevant base chains in the nftables output, including forwarding and bridge hooks. A service may be allowed in the interface’s firewalld zone, or an earlier chain may accept established connections. Counters can help determine which rule actually sees the test traffic.
“A rule disappears after reload or reboot.”
Compare the runtime and permanent firewalld outputs. If the rule exists only at runtime, save it intentionally with sudo firewall-cmd --runtime-to-permanent after testing. If it exists only in permanent configuration, reload firewalld according to your change procedure and verify the live nftables result afterward.
“iptables shows rules, but traffic is still blocked.”
Inspect nftables as well as the iptables compatibility chains. Firewalld’s nftables rules, a second hook, IPv6 policy or a forwarding chain can make a decision after the compatibility rule. Look for a later drop or reject and identify the interface and address family that match the failed connection.
“A local test succeeds, but a remote test fails.”
Local traffic may use loopback or a different route and may not traverse the same input, forwarding or bridge hooks. Test from a separate system, specify the destination address family, and inspect counters while making one controlled connection attempt.
A safe, repeatable diagnostic sequence
- Keep a second administrative path available and do not flush rules.
- Run the three
systemctl is-activechecks to identify candidate managers. - Run
sudo nft list rulesetand save the complete output. - Run
sudo iptables -Sandsudo ip6tables -Sto document compatibility paths. - If firewalld is active, record
sudo firewall-cmd --state, list active zones, and inspect both runtime and permanent data for every active zone. - If ufw is installed, record
sudo ufw status verboseand reconcile its policy with nftables. - Identify the traffic path: input, output, forwarding, bridge, IPv4 or IPv6, and any container or virtual-machine interface.
- Make one test connection from another host and observe counters or logs without changing policy.
- Only after the owner and desired state are clear, make a narrowly scoped change, reload the correct manager if required, and verify the resulting kernel ruleset.
What a trustworthy conclusion looks like
You can conclude that the firewall is enforcing a policy only after identifying a live chain or manager rule that applies to the tested traffic. You can conclude that a configuration is persistent only after checking the permanent state, not merely the current runtime output. You can conclude that IPv4 and IPv6 are covered only after inspecting both paths. And you can conclude that no other component is involved only after reviewing the full nftables hooks and the interfaces used by containers, bridges or virtual machines.
The practical rule is simple: use firewalld or ufw to understand who manages the policy, use nft list ruleset to see what the kernel can actually enforce, and use the IPv4, IPv6, runtime and permanent views to explain any remaining difference.
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