has_any_ipv4_prefix

This page explains how to use the has_any_ipv4_prefix function in APL.

The has_any_ipv4_prefix function in APL lets you determine if an IPv4 address starts with any prefix in a list of specified prefixes. This function is particularly useful for filtering, segmenting, and analyzing data involving IP addresses, such as log data, network traffic, or security events. By efficiently checking prefixes, you can identify IP ranges of interest for purposes like geolocation, access control, or anomaly detection.

For users of other query languages

If you come from other query languages, this section explains how to adjust your existing queries to achieve the same results in APL.

Splunk SPL users

In Splunk SPL, checking if an IP address matches a prefix requires custom search logic with pattern matching or conditional expressions. In APL, has_any_ipv4_prefix provides a direct and optimized way to perform this check.

Splunk example

| eval is_in_range=if(match(ip, "10.*") OR match(ip, "192.168.*"), 1, 0)

['sample-http-logs']
| where has_any_ipv4_prefix(uri, dynamic(['10.', '192.168.']))

ANSI SQL users

In ANSI SQL, you need to use LIKE clauses combined with OR operators to check prefixes. In APL, the has_any_ipv4_prefix function simplifies this process by accepting a dynamic list of prefixes.

SQL example

SELECT * FROM logs
WHERE ip LIKE '10.%' OR ip LIKE '192.168.%';

['sample-http-logs']
| where has_any_ipv4_prefix(uri, dynamic(['10.', '192.168.']))

Usage

Syntax

has_any_ipv4_prefix(ip_column, prefixes)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
ip_column	string	The column containing the IPv4 address.
prefixes	dynamic	A list of IPv4 prefixes to check against.

Returns

• true if the IPv4 address matches any of the specified prefixes.
• false otherwise.

Use case example

Detect requests from specific IP ranges.

Query

['sample-http-logs']
| extend has_ip_prefix = has_any_ipv4_prefix('192.168.0.1', dynamic(['172.16.', '192.168.']))

Run in Playground

Output

_time	has_ip_prefix	status
2024-11-14T10:00:00	true	200

List of related functions

• has_any_ipv4: Matches any IP address in a string column with a list of IP addresses or ranges.
• has_ipv4_prefix: Checks if an IPv4 address matches a single prefix.
• has_ipv4: Checks if a single IP address is present in a string column.