How to enable internet sharing using command

Mac boxes make comparatively rotten IP routers. Awkward, potentially insecure, and difficult to manage. Get yourself a real IP router, preferably with VPN server capabilies, and remote operations and management will tend to get far easier. (There are both commercial and open-source options.)

As for your question, the easiest way is via VNC; open screen sharing, connect in, and off you go.

For the command line version, something akin to the following should get you where you want:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.InternetSharing.plist

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.InternetSharing.plist

Google around for details of these commands and of the plist and alternatives, depending on your particular requirements. I've seen an AppleScript (somewhere) that tweaks this stuff, if you prefer that interface.

MrHoffman wrote:

...

For the command line version, something akin to the following should get you where you want:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.InternetSharing.plist

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.InternetSharing.plist

...

I can't understand why this plist method keeps getting perpetuated all over the internet. It does not work.

Perhaps it did back on Snow Leopard, but it certainly doesn't on Mavericks.

The only way Internet Sharing can be turned on in Mavericks that I have found is through the GUI. I'm sure there is a way via the CLI, but if it exists it's unpublished.

On Mavericks and Yosemite, I have aliased in my ~/.bashrc:

alias startweb='sudo apachectl start'

alias stopweb='sudo apachectl stop'

alias restartweb='sudo apachectl restart'

If typing sudo and a password each time gets tedious, then update the /etc/sudoers file (if you have permissions), and then one can simply drop sudo from the above aliases.

In /etc/sudoers (use sudo visudo):

username hostname = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/apachectl

Viking, your solution does not answer the original question.

You've given instructions for starting/stopping the HTTP server, not for enabling/disabling Internet Sharing... two completely different things.

The first cup of coffee didn't work this morning, and I should have read the OP more closely. Thanks. D'oh.

The last reply by Stuart H at this Ask Different post sounds interesting regarding start/stop Internet sharing via Terminal without using AppleScript.

I'll give those 2 possible solutions a try. Thanks!

Edit:

The first solution gives me...

launchctl: Couldn't stat("/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.NetworkSharing.plist"): No such file or directory

The second solution doesn't seem very elegant.