Kmod-nft-offload Apr 2026

ethtool -S eth1 | grep offload tc filter show dev eth1 ingress With increasing adoption of SmartNICs, DPUs, and switchdev mode, kmod-nft-offload represents a bridge between standard Linux netfilter and line-rate hardware processing . Future kernels will likely embed offload support deeper, making the module redundant — but for now, it remains the official key to unlocking hardware-accelerated nftables. Conclusion kmod-nft-offload is a small module with a huge impact. If you run a router, firewall, or load balancer on Linux at 10GbE+, and you’re using nftables, installing and enabling offload can cut CPU usage by an order of magnitude while pushing throughput to wire speed. Just ensure your NIC and driver support it — then let the hardware do the heavy lifting. Want to test if your current system supports nftables offload? Run nft -j list ruleset | grep offload and check your NIC’s ethtool features.

nft -a list ruleset # Shows rule handles Check NIC offload counters: kmod-nft-offload

apt install linux-modules-extra-$(uname -r) Load the module: ethtool -S eth1 | grep offload tc filter

modprobe nft_offload Verify:

Packet → NIC → Host CPU → nftables (kernel) → Forward/Drop → Host CPU → NIC → Wire Every packet consumes CPU cycles, limiting throughput, especially at 10 GbE, 25 GbE, or higher. If you run a router, firewall, or load