Sort command to sort IP address

July 27, 2019 - Reading time: ~1 minute

Here is our sample input file:

192.168.1.100
192.168.1.19
192.168.1.102
192.168.2.1
192.168.0.2

Type the following sort command:
$ sort -t . -k 3,3n -k 4,4n /path/to/file
Sample output:

192.168.0.2
192.168.1.19
192.168.1.100
192.168.1.102
192.168.2.1

Where:

• -t . : Set field to . (dot) as our IPs separated by dot symbol
• -n : Makes the program sort according to numerical value
• -k opts: Sort data / fields using the given column number. For example, the option -k 2 made the program sort using the second column of data. The option -k 3,3n -k 4,4n sorts each column. First it will sort 3rd column and then 4th column.