# Route Table

Source: /azure/services/route-table/

## Introduction

Azure Route Table contains a set of rules (routes) that specify how packets should be routed in a virtual network.
You can associate a route table with a subnet to override Azure's default system routes and direct traffic to specific next-hop targets such as virtual appliances, VPN gateways, or other virtual networks.
Route tables are commonly used in hub-and-spoke topologies to force traffic through a central network virtual appliance for inspection. For more information, see [Virtual network traffic routing](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-networks-udr-overview).

LocalStack for Azure provides a local environment for building and testing applications that make use of Route Tables.
The supported APIs are available on our [API Coverage section](#api-coverage), which provides information on the extent of Route Table's integration with LocalStack.

## Getting started

This guide is designed for users new to Route Tables and assumes basic knowledge of the Azure CLI and our `lstk az` proxy.

Launch LocalStack using your preferred method. For more information, see [Introduction to LocalStack for Azure](/azure/getting-started/). Once the container is running, enable Azure CLI interception by running:

```bash
lstk az start-interception
```

This command points the `az` CLI away from the public Azure management REST API and toward the LocalStack for Azure emulator API.
To revert this configuration, run:

```bash
lstk az stop-interception
```

This reconfigures the `az` CLI to send commands to the official Azure management REST API.

### Create a resource group

Create a resource group to hold all resources created in this guide:

```bash
az group create \
  --name rg-rt-demo \
  --location westeurope
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo",
  "location": "westeurope",
  "managedBy": null,
  "name": "rg-rt-demo",
  "properties": {
    "provisioningState": "Succeeded"
  },
  "tags": null,
  "type": "Microsoft.Resources/resourceGroups"
}
```

### Create a route table

Create an empty route table to hold the custom routing rules:

```bash
az network route-table create \
  --name rt-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo \
  --location westeurope
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "disableBgpRoutePropagation": false,
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-demo",
  "location": "westeurope",
  "name": "rt-demo",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo",
  "routes": [],
  "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables"
}
```

### Create a route table and add routes

Routes are managed as separate resources in Azure; create the route table first, then add one or more routes.

Create an empty route table:

```bash
az network route-table create \
  --name rt-with-routes \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo \
  --location westeurope
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "disableBgpRoutePropagation": false,
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-with-routes",
  "location": "westeurope",
  "name": "rt-with-routes",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo",
  "routes": [],
  "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables"
}
```

Add a route that directs internet-bound traffic (`0.0.0.0/0`) to a virtual appliance:

```bash
az network route-table route create \
  --name route-to-internet \
  --route-table-name rt-with-routes \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo \
  --address-prefix 0.0.0.0/0 \
  --next-hop-type VirtualAppliance \
  --next-hop-ip-address 10.0.2.4
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "addressPrefix": "0.0.0.0/0",
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-with-routes/routes/route-to-internet",
  "name": "route-to-internet",
  "nextHopIpAddress": "10.0.2.4",
  "nextHopType": "VirtualAppliance",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo",
  "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables/routes"
}
```

### Manage individual routes

Add, show, and delete individual routes on an existing route table:

Add a route that directs internet-bound traffic through a virtual appliance:

```bash
az network route-table route create \
  --name route-to-appliance \
  --route-table-name rt-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo \
  --address-prefix 0.0.0.0/0 \
  --next-hop-type VirtualAppliance \
  --next-hop-ip-address 10.0.1.4
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "addressPrefix": "0.0.0.0/0",
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-demo/routes/route-to-appliance",
  "name": "route-to-appliance",
  "nextHopIpAddress": "10.0.1.4",
  "nextHopType": "VirtualAppliance",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo",
  "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables/routes"
}
```

Add a second route that keeps spoke traffic local to the virtual network:

```bash
az network route-table route create \
  --name route-to-spoke \
  --route-table-name rt-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo \
  --address-prefix 172.16.0.0/16 \
  --next-hop-type VnetLocal
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "addressPrefix": "172.16.0.0/16",
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-demo/routes/route-to-spoke",
  "name": "route-to-spoke",
  "nextHopType": "VnetLocal",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo",
  "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables/routes"
}
```

Then retrieve the details of the `route-to-spoke` route within the table:

```bash
az network route-table route show \
  --name route-to-spoke \
  --route-table-name rt-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "addressPrefix": "172.16.0.0/16",
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-demo/routes/route-to-spoke",
  "name": "route-to-spoke",
  "nextHopType": "VnetLocal",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo",
  "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables/routes"
}
```

Delete the `route-to-spoke` route from the route table:

```bash
az network route-table route delete \
  --name route-to-spoke \
  --route-table-name rt-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo
```

### Get and list route tables

Retrieve the details of a route table and list all route tables in the resource group:

```bash
az network route-table show \
  --name rt-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "disableBgpRoutePropagation": false,
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-demo",
  "location": "westeurope",
  "name": "rt-demo",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo",
  "routes": [
    {
      "addressPrefix": "0.0.0.0/0",
      "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-demo/routes/route-to-appliance",
      "name": "route-to-appliance",
      "nextHopIpAddress": "10.0.1.4",
      "nextHopType": "VirtualAppliance",
      "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
      "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables/routes"
    }
  ],
  "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables"
}
```

Then list all route tables in the resource group:

```bash
az network route-table list \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo
```

```bash title="Output"
[
  {
    "disableBgpRoutePropagation": false,
    "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-demo",
    "location": "westeurope",
    "name": "rt-demo",
    "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
    "routes": [ { "name": "route-to-appliance", "nextHopType": "VirtualAppliance", "nextHopIpAddress": "10.0.1.4" } ],
    "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables"
  },
  {
    "disableBgpRoutePropagation": false,
    "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-with-routes",
    "location": "westeurope",
    "name": "rt-with-routes",
    "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
    "routes": [ { "name": "route-to-internet", "nextHopType": "VirtualAppliance", "nextHopIpAddress": "10.0.2.4" } ],
    "type": "Microsoft.Network/routeTables"
  }
]
```

### Associate a route table with a subnet

To apply routing rules, associate the route table with a subnet. First create a virtual network with a subnet:

```bash
az network vnet create \
  --name vnet-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo \
  --location westeurope \
  --address-prefix 10.0.0.0/16 \
  --subnet-name subnet-demo \
  --subnet-prefixes 10.0.1.0/24
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "newVNet": {
    "addressSpace": { "addressPrefixes": [ "10.0.0.0/16" ] },
    "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/vnet-demo",
    "location": "westeurope",
    "name": "vnet-demo",
    "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
    "subnets": [
      {
        "addressPrefix": "10.0.1.0/24",
        "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/vnet-demo/subnets/subnet-demo",
        "name": "subnet-demo",
        "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
        "type": "Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets"
      }
    ],
    "type": "Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks"
  }
}
```

Then associate `rt-demo` with `subnet-demo`:

```bash
az network vnet subnet update \
  --name subnet-demo \
  --vnet-name vnet-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo \
  --route-table rt-demo
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "addressPrefix": "10.0.1.0/24",
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/vnet-demo/subnets/subnet-demo",
  "name": "subnet-demo",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo",
  "routeTable": {
    "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-demo",
    "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo"
  },
  "type": "Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets"
}
```

Verify the association is reflected on the subnet:

```bash
az network vnet subnet show \
  --name subnet-demo \
  --vnet-name vnet-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo
```

```bash title="Output"
{
  "addressPrefix": "10.0.1.0/24",
  "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/vnet-demo/subnets/subnet-demo",
  "name": "subnet-demo",
  "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo",
  "routeTable": {
    "id": "/subscriptions/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000/resourceGroups/rg-rt-demo/providers/Microsoft.Network/routeTables/rt-demo",
    "resourceGroup": "rg-rt-demo"
  },
  "type": "Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets"
}
```

### Delete the route tables

Delete both route tables and verify they no longer appear in the list:

```bash
az network route-table delete \
  --name rt-demo \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo

az network route-table delete \
  --name rt-with-routes \
  --resource-group rg-rt-demo
```

Then list route tables for the resource group to confirm neither route table remains:

```bash
az network route-table list --resource-group rg-rt-demo
```

```bash title="Output"
[]
```

## Features

The Route Table emulator supports the following features:

- **Create and manage route tables**: Full lifecycle management including create, get, update, list, and delete.
- **Sub-resource route management**: Create, get, update, list, and delete individual routes within a route table.
- **Next-hop types**: Support for `VirtualAppliance`, `VnetLocal`, `VirtualNetworkGateway`, `Internet`, and `None`.
- **Next-hop IP addresses**: Store and return the next-hop IP address for `VirtualAppliance` routes.
- **Address prefix ranges**: Store and return the address prefix for each route.
- **Tags**: Apply and update resource tags on route table resources.
- **Subscription-scoped listing**: List all route tables across a subscription.

## Limitations

- **No traffic routing**: Route Table is a mock implementation. State is persisted in memory and returned faithfully, but no actual network traffic is routed according to the configured routes.
- **No subnet association enforcement**: Associating a route table with a subnet is accepted but not enforced at the network level.
- **No data persistence**: Route table resources and their routes are not persisted and are lost when the emulator is stopped or restarted.

## Samples

Explore end-to-end examples in the [LocalStack for Azure Samples](https://github.com/localstack/localstack-azure-samples) repository.

## API Coverage


### Route Table API coverage

Source service: `route-table`. 10 of 10 tracked operations are implemented.

Service documentation: /azure/services/route-table/

| Operation | Status |
| --- | --- |
| RouteTables.CreateOrUpdate | Implemented |
| RouteTables.Delete | Implemented |
| RouteTables.Get | Implemented |
| RouteTables.List | Implemented |
| RouteTables.ListAll | Implemented |
| RouteTables.UpdateTags | Implemented |
| Routes.CreateOrUpdate | Implemented |
| Routes.Delete | Implemented |
| Routes.Get | Implemented |
| Routes.List | Implemented |