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pfkey: Deprecate pfkey

PATCH In review Steffen Klassert 1 participant 2 messages Oct 28, 2025 – Nov 1, 2025

Subsystems (3)
Networking Network drivers Networking IPsec
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Steffen Klassert

author maintainer
#0 lore raw

PATCH v2 1/1 pfkey: Deprecate pfkey

The pfkey user configuration interface was replaced by the netlink user configuration interface more than a decade ago. In between all maintained IKE implementations moved to the netlink interface. So let config NET_KEY default to no in Kconfig. The pfkey code will be removed in a second step.

Signed-off-by Steffen Klassert <[email protected]>
Reviewed-by Sabrina Dubroca <[email protected]>
Acked-by Antony Antony <[email protected]>
Acked-by Tobias Brunner <[email protected]>
Acked-by Herbert Xu <[email protected]>
Acked-by Tuomo Soini <[email protected]>
Acked-by Paul Wouters <[email protected]>

---

Changes in v2:

- Add some new tags.
- Fix two typos in the commit message.

 net/key/af_key.c |  2 ++
 net/xfrm/Kconfig | 11 +++++++----
 2 files changed, 9 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
net/key/af_key.c +2 -0
index 2ebde0352245..571200433aa9 100644
@@ -3903,6 +3903,8 @@ static int __init ipsec_pfkey_init(void)
 {
 	int err = proto_register(&key_proto, 0);
 
+	pr_warn_once("PFKEY is deprecated and scheduled to be removed in 2027, "
+	             "please contact the netdev mailing list\n");
 	if (err != 0)
 		goto out;
net/xfrm/Kconfig +7 -4
index f0157702718f..4a62817a88f8 100644
@@ -110,14 +110,17 @@ config XFRM_IPCOMP
 	select CRYPTO_DEFLATE
 
 config NET_KEY
-	tristate "PF_KEY sockets"
+	tristate "PF_KEY sockets (deprecated)"
 	select XFRM_ALGO
 	help
 	  PF_KEYv2 socket family, compatible to KAME ones.
-	  They are required if you are going to use IPsec tools ported
-	  from KAME.
 
-	  Say Y unless you know what you are doing.
+	  The PF_KEYv2 socket interface is deprecated and
+	  scheduled for removal. All maintained IKE daemons
+	  no longer need PF_KEY sockets. Please use the netlink
+	  interface (XFRM_USER) to configure IPsec.
+
+	  If unsure, say N.
 
 config NET_KEY_MIGRATE
 	bool "PF_KEY MIGRATE"
Signature · 1 line
2.43.0
author maintainer
#1 lore raw
Quoted 6 lines · Steffen Klassert

The pfkey user configuration interface was replaced by the netlink user configuration interface more than a decade ago. In between all maintained IKE implementations moved to the netlink interface. So let config NET_KEY default to no in Kconfig. The pfkey code will be removed in a second step.

Quoted 7 lines
Signed-off-by Steffen Klassert <[email protected]>
Reviewed-by Sabrina Dubroca <[email protected]>
Acked-by Antony Antony <[email protected]>
Acked-by Tobias Brunner <[email protected]>
Acked-by Herbert Xu <[email protected]>
Acked-by Tuomo Soini <[email protected]>
Acked-by Paul Wouters <[email protected]>

This is now applied to ipsec-next,

thanks everyone!