virsh Commands Cheat Sheet for KVM VMs

virsh is libvirt's command-line tool and the fastest way to manage KVM virtual machines on a headless server. This virsh commands cheat sheet groups the commands by task so you can find them quickly.

Before you start

A KVM host with libvirt; see install KVM on Ubuntu.
Run as root, or as a user in the libvirt group connected to qemu:///system.
Replace web01 with your VM (domain) name.

VM lifecycle

Task	Command
List all VMs	`virsh list --all`
Start	`virsh start web01`
Graceful shutdown	`virsh shutdown web01`
Reboot	`virsh reboot web01`
Force power off	`virsh destroy web01` (does not delete)
Pause / resume	`virsh suspend web01` / `virsh resume web01`
Start on host boot	`virsh autostart web01`
Remove definition	`virsh undefine web01` (add `--nvram` for UEFI VMs)

Information and consoles

Task	Command
Basic info	`virsh dominfo web01`
Disks	`virsh domblklist web01`
NICs and MACs	`virsh domiflist web01`
Guest IPs	`virsh domifaddr web01` (add `--source agent` with guest agent)
Serial console	`virsh console web01` (exit with Ctrl+])
VNC display	`virsh vncdisplay web01`

Edit configuration

Open the VM's XML in your editor (validated on save):

virsh edit web01

Export or re-import a definition:

virsh dumpxml web01 > web01.xml

virsh define web01.xml

Change CPU and memory

virsh setvcpus web01 4 --config --maximum
virsh setvcpus web01 4 --config

virsh setmaxmem web01 8G --config
virsh setmem web01 8G --config

Changes with --config apply at next full boot. For pinning see CPU pinning and overcommit.

Disks and network cards

qemu-img create -f qcow2 /var/lib/libvirt/images/web01-data.qcow2 100G

virsh attach-disk web01 /var/lib/libvirt/images/web01-data.qcow2 vdb --driver qemu --subdriver qcow2 --persistent

virsh attach-interface web01 bridge br0 --model virtio --persistent

Networks and storage pools

Task	Command
List networks	`virsh net-list --all`
Start default NAT network at boot	`virsh net-autostart default`
DHCP leases	`virsh net-dhcp-leases default`
List storage pools	`virsh pool-list --all`
List volumes	`virsh vol-list default`

Snapshots

See KVM snapshots with virsh for snapshot-create-as, snapshot-revert and snapshot-delete.

Frequently asked questions

Why does virsh list show nothing?

You are probably connected to qemu:///session. Use sudo virsh or virsh -c qemu:///system.

shutdown does nothing?

The guest ignores ACPI. Install acpid or the QEMU guest agent, or use virsh destroy as a last resort.

Can I manage a remote host?

Yes: virsh -c qemu+ssh://root@kvm1.example.com/system list.

Next steps

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