To send TCP traffic arriving on port 8080 to a service on port 80, choose the rule that matches your network layout. On the same Linux host, use an nftables redirect to :80 rule or firewalld’s --add-forward-port without a destination address. If port 80 is on another machine, use destination NAT (DNAT), permit packet forwarding, and ensure the return path works.
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Port translation is different from merely opening port 80. An open-port rule allows traffic to reach an application already listening there; a redirect or DNAT rule changes where the connection is delivered.
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First decide which forwarding case you have
The correct rule depends on whether the destination service runs on the Linux machine receiving the connection or on a different host.
Same host: local redirect
A client connects to the Linux host on port 8080, while the application listens on port 80 on that same host. Use a NAT prerouting rule with redirect to :80. nftables describes redirect as a special form of DNAT that always translates the destination address to the local host. The destination port changes, but the service remains local.
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Different host: routed DNAT
A client connects to one Linux machine on port 8080, but the application is on another machine, such as 192.0.2.14. Use DNAT with both a destination address and port. The Linux machine must also be allowed to forward packets, and replies must be able to return through the expected path.
| Question | Same-host redirect | Remote-host DNAT |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the port-80 service? | On the Linux host receiving traffic | On a different host |
| nftables target | redirect to :80 |
dnat to 192.0.2.14:80 |
| Needs packet forwarding between hosts? | No routed hop is required | Yes; forwarding policy and return path must permit the flow |
| firewalld destination address | Omit toaddr |
Set toaddr=192.0.2.14 |
| Address family covered by the basic firewalld option | IPv4 | IPv4 |
Check the service and traffic before adding NAT
Port forwarding cannot compensate for a service that is stopped, listening on another port, or bound only where the incoming traffic cannot reach it. Perform these checks first.
- Confirm that the application is listening on TCP port 80:
ss -ltnp | grep ':80'. - Confirm that clients really use TCP. The examples below do not translate UDP, SCTP, or DCCP unless you create an appropriate rule.
- Identify the interface on which traffic arrives and, when using firewalld, the zone assigned to that interface.
- Decide whether the rule is temporary for testing or must survive a reboot and a firewalld restart.
- Check whether Docker, UFW, firewalld, a distribution firewall service, or another component already manages the NAT table. Use one authoritative manager for a given NAT table where possible.
The example interface name ens3 and address 192.0.2.14 below are placeholders for the interface and destination address in your network. Replace them with your actual values.
nftables: redirect another port to local port 80
Use this method when both the listening application and the incoming connection terminate on the same Linux machine.
1. Create a NAT prerouting chain
Load a ruleset containing an IPv4 NAT table and a prerouting chain. The chain type and priority are important: NAT prerouting runs before the kernel makes the final local-versus-routed decision.
table ip nat {
chain prerouting {
type nat hook prerouting priority -100;
tcp dport 8080 redirect to :80
}
}The rule matches TCP packets arriving for port 8080 and redirects them to local port 80. If clients use a different source port, that does not matter; the match is on the destination port.
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2. Apply the rule through your nftables configuration
Install the rule using the nftables configuration method provided by your distribution. If another service owns the NAT table, add the rule through that service instead of creating a competing table. A competing manager can overwrite or reorder rules during startup or reload.
3. Verify the listener and active rules
Run the listener check again, then inspect the active ruleset:
ss -ltnp | grep ':80'
sudo nft list rulesetYou should see a process bound to port 80 and the tcp dport 8080 redirect to :80 expression in the active ip nat prerouting chain.
4. Test from the actual client network
Connect to the Linux host at port 8080 from a client that normally uses this path. A local test from the host itself can take a different route and hook, so a successful loopback test does not prove that traffic arriving on the external interface is translated. Test both paths when hairpin or loopback access is part of your design.
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- The service must actually listen on port 80. Redirecting to an unused port produces a connection failure even though the NAT rule matches.
- The rule is for TCP. Create a separate protocol-specific rule if the application uses another transport.
- Traffic must arrive through the interface and address covered by the rule’s context. If you later move the service or change the interface, recheck the match.
- Local redirect does not send traffic to another machine. Use DNAT with a destination address for that design.
nftables documentation records redirect availability beginning with Linux kernel 3.19. That is a compatibility note; your distribution’s nftables package and firewall-management service still determine how rules are loaded and retained.
nftables: forward port 8080 to port 80 on another host
For a remote application server, replace the local redirect with destination NAT. The incoming packet’s destination is rewritten to the remote address and port.
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1. Match the incoming interface and destination port
table ip nat {
chain prerouting {
type nat hook prerouting priority -100;
iifname "ens3" tcp dport 8080 dnat to 192.0.2.14:80
}
}This example accepts only TCP packets arriving on ens3 for port 8080 and changes their destination to 192.0.2.14:80. Restricting the interface is useful when the Linux host has multiple networks and only one should expose the forwarded service.
2. Permit routed forwarding
DNAT changes the destination, but NAT alone does not make a blocked route work. The Linux host must be configured to forward packets, and its forwarding policy must allow traffic from the incoming interface toward the destination network. The remote server’s route for replies must also send return traffic through a path that preserves the connection.
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3. Confirm both endpoints
- Verify that the destination host is listening on TCP port 80.
- Verify that the forwarding Linux host receives the connection on the expected interface.
- Verify that the destination host can send replies back through the forwarding path.
- Test from the real client network, not only from the forwarding host or the destination host.
firewalld: forward a port with firewall-cmd
firewalld provides a higher-level forward-port interface. The basic option is an IPv4 feature and accepts TCP, UDP, SCTP, or DCCP. Specify the protocol explicitly so the rule matches only the traffic you intend to translate.
Same host: forward 8080 to local 80
sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-forward-port=port=8080:proto=tcp:toport=80This adds a runtime IPv4 forward-port rule in the public zone. It translates TCP traffic arriving at port 8080 to local port 80. Change public if the incoming interface belongs to another zone.
Remote host: add a destination address
sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-forward-port=port=8080:proto=tcp:toport=80:toaddr=192.0.2.14Adding toaddr changes the operation from a local destination to a remote IPv4 destination. firewalld’s documented behavior implicitly enables IP forwarding when toaddr is specified, but the forwarding policy and the remote host’s return route still need to permit the connection.
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Make a firewalld rule persistent
Without --permanent, a forward-port rule is part of the runtime configuration and disappears after a reboot or firewalld restart. Add the permanent rule and reload:
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-forward-port=port=8080:proto=tcp:toport=80
sudo firewall-cmd --reloadAfter the reload, verify that the permanent configuration produced the expected active rule. If you add a runtime rule first for testing, add the equivalent permanent rule before restarting firewalld; otherwise the test result will vanish.
Do not confuse opening a port with forwarding it
sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-port=80/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-service=httpThese commands permit traffic to a service that already listens on port 80. They do not translate connections arriving on port 8080. Use --add-forward-port when the outside port and the service port differ.
IPv6 consideration
The documented --add-forward-port form is for IPv4. For IPv6 forward ports, use firewalld’s rich language rather than treating the IPv4 option as an IPv6 rule. Keep the address family explicit when troubleshooting so an apparently correct IPv4 translation is not mistaken for an IPv6 configuration.
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| Situation | Prefer | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution already manages firewall policy with firewalld | firewall-cmd forward-port | Keeps the translation in the same zone and persistence model as the rest of the host firewall. |
| You manage a native nftables ruleset directly | nftables redirect or DNAT | Provides direct control over table, chain, interface, and priority. |
| Service is on the same host | Local redirect | No routed destination address is needed. |
| Service is on another host | DNAT or firewalld with toaddr |
Rewrites both destination address and port and requires forwarding. |
| Need IPv6 with firewalld | Rich language | The basic forward-port option is documented for IPv4. |
Do not configure the same translation independently in nftables and firewalld unless you deliberately understand which manager owns the rules. A reload or service restart can replace rules created by the other manager.
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Work from the application outward. This order separates a missing listener from a NAT, zone, forwarding, or return-path problem.
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- Check the target listener. Run
ss -ltnp | grep ':80'. If nothing is listening, start or reconfigure the application before debugging NAT. - Check protocol and port. Confirm the client uses TCP and actually connects to 8080. A UDP client will not match a TCP rule.
- Check interface or zone. For nftables, verify that the packet arrives on the interface named in the rule, such as
ens3. For firewalld, verify that this interface is in the zone where you added the forward-port rule. - Inspect the active configuration. Use
sudo nft list rulesetfor nftables. For firewalld, list the zone’s forward ports withfirewall-cmdand confirm that the runtime rule exists after any reload. - Separate local redirect from routed DNAT. If the service is remote, a
redirect to :80rule is the wrong target. Use DNAT withtoaddrand the remote address. - Check forwarding and policy. With
toaddror a native DNAT rule, ensure IP forwarding is enabled and the forwarding policy permits the incoming-to-outgoing path. NAT does not override a blocked forwarding policy. - Check the return path. The destination host must return replies through a route that allows the connection to complete. Firewalld statefully allows the return path for established connections when the policy permits the initial flow, but the network route still has to be correct.
- Check persistence. A rule that worked until reboot or firewalld restart was probably runtime-only. Re-create it with
--permanentand reload firewalld, or use your distribution’s nftables persistence mechanism. - Check competing managers. Docker, UFW, firewalld, or another distribution service may overwrite the NAT table. Choose one authoritative manager and inspect the rules after each reload.
- Test from the correct vantage point. Test from the actual client network as well as locally. Hairpin and loopback traffic can traverse different hooks and policies, so a local success or failure may not represent external clients.
Common configuration mistakes
Opening port 80 instead of translating 8080
An --add-port=80/tcp or HTTP service rule only permits traffic addressed to port 80. Clients still connecting to 8080 will not be moved automatically.
Using local redirect for a remote server
redirect to :80 always targets the local host. For another machine, specify a destination address with DNAT or firewalld’s toaddr.
Forgetting the protocol
A TCP rule does not match UDP, SCTP, or DCCP. Confirm the application’s transport and create a matching rule for that protocol if required.
Adding a runtime firewalld rule only
Runtime state is intentionally temporary. Use --permanent and reload when the forwarding rule must survive a restart.
Assuming NAT bypasses firewall policy
Translation changes addresses and ports; it does not grant permission to route packets. Remote forwarding still depends on IP forwarding, zone or forwarding policy, and a valid return route.
Quick Recap
Operational checklist
- Identify whether the service is local or remote.
- Confirm the service listens on TCP port 80.
- Match the incoming port 8080 and the correct protocol.
- Use
redirect to :80only for a local destination. - Use DNAT with a destination address for a remote destination.
- Match the incoming interface or firewalld zone.
- Permit packet forwarding and verify the return path for remote DNAT.
- Inspect active rules after loading or reloading the firewall.
- Make firewalld rules permanent when they must persist.
- Test from the real client network, including any hairpin or loopback scenario.
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