diff --git a/nftables_test.go b/nftables_test.go
index 869b6ab..a5b7740 100644
--- a/nftables_test.go
+++ b/nftables_test.go
@@ -846,80 +846,6 @@ func TestAddRuleWithPosition(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestAddRuleRuleID(t *testing.T) {
-	want := [][]byte{
-		// batch begin
-		[]byte("\x00\x00\x00\x0a"),
-		// nft add rule ip ipv4table ipv4chain-1 ip version 6 comment \0x01
-		[]byte("\x02\x00\x00\x00\x0e\x00\x01\x00\x69\x70\x76\x34\x74\x61\x62\x6c\x65\x00\x00\x00\x10\x00\x02\x00\x69\x70\x76\x34\x63\x68\x61\x69\x6e\x2d\x31\x00\xa8\x00\x04\x80\x34\x00\x01\x80\x0c\x00\x01\x00\x70\x61\x79\x6c\x6f\x61\x64\x00\x24\x00\x02\x80\x08\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x08\x00\x02\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x08\x00\x03\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x08\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x44\x00\x01\x80\x0c\x00\x01\x00\x62\x69\x74\x77\x69\x73\x65\x00\x34\x00\x02\x80\x08\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x08\x00\x02\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x08\x00\x03\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x0c\x00\x04\x80\x05\x00\x01\x00\xf0\x00\x00\x00\x0c\x00\x05\x80\x05\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x2c\x00\x01\x80\x08\x00\x01\x00\x63\x6d\x70\x00\x20\x00\x02\x80\x08\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01\x08\x00\x02\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x0c\x00\x03\x80\x05\x00\x01\x00\x60\x00\x00\x00\x08\x00\x07\x00\x00\x00\x00\x01"),
-		// batch end
-		[]byte("\x00\x00\x00\x0a"),
-	}
-
-	c := &nftables.Conn{
-		TestDial: func(req []netlink.Message) ([]netlink.Message, error) {
-			for idx, msg := range req {
-				b, err := msg.MarshalBinary()
-				if err != nil {
-					t.Fatal(err)
-				}
-				if len(b) < 16 {
-					continue
-				}
-				b = b[16:]
-				if len(want) == 0 {
-					t.Errorf("no want entry for message %d: %x", idx, b)
-					continue
-				}
-				if got, want := b, want[0]; !bytes.Equal(got, want) {
-					t.Errorf("message %d: %s", idx, linediff(nfdump(got), nfdump(want)))
-				}
-				want = want[1:]
-			}
-			return req, nil
-		},
-	}
-
-	c.AddRule(&nftables.Rule{
-		RuleID: 1,
-		Table:  &nftables.Table{Name: "ipv4table", Family: nftables.TableFamilyIPv4},
-		Chain: &nftables.Chain{
-			Name:     "ipv4chain-1",
-			Type:     nftables.ChainTypeFilter,
-			Hooknum:  nftables.ChainHookPrerouting,
-			Priority: 0,
-		},
-
-		Exprs: []expr.Any{
-			// [ payload load 1b @ network header + 0 => reg 1 ]
-			&expr.Payload{
-				DestRegister: 1,
-				Base:         expr.PayloadBaseNetworkHeader,
-				Offset:       0, // Offset for a transport protocol header
-				Len:          1, // 1 bytes for port
-			},
-			// [ bitwise reg 1 = (reg=1 & 0x000000f0 ) ^ 0x00000000 ]
-			&expr.Bitwise{
-				SourceRegister: 1,
-				DestRegister:   1,
-				Len:            1,
-				Mask:           []byte{0xf0},
-				Xor:            []byte{0x0},
-			},
-			// [ cmp eq reg 1 0x00000060 ]
-			&expr.Cmp{
-				Op:       expr.CmpOpEq,
-				Register: 1,
-				Data:     []byte{(0x6 << 4)},
-			},
-		},
-	})
-
-	if err := c.Flush(); err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-}
-
 func TestAddChain(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name  string
diff --git a/rule.go b/rule.go
index 297db4e..7ce20d4 100644
--- a/rule.go
+++ b/rule.go
@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@ var ruleHeaderType = netlink.HeaderType((unix.NFNL_SUBSYS_NFTABLES << 8) | unix.
 type Rule struct {
 	Table    *Table
 	Chain    *Chain
-	RuleID   uint32
 	Position uint64
 	Handle   uint64
 	Exprs    []expr.Any
+	UserData []byte
 }
 
 // GetRule returns the rules in the specified table and chain.
@@ -81,52 +81,6 @@ func (cc *Conn) GetRule(t *Table, c *Chain) ([]*Rule, error) {
 	return rules, nil
 }
 
-// GetRuleHandle returns a specific rule's handle. Rule is identified by Table, Chain and RuleID.
-func (cc *Conn) GetRuleHandle(t *Table, c *Chain, ruleID uint32) (uint64, error) {
-	conn, err := cc.dialNetlink()
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, err
-	}
-	defer conn.Close()
-	if ruleID == 0 {
-		return 0, fmt.Errorf("rule's id cannot be 0")
-	}
-
-	data, err := netlink.MarshalAttributes([]netlink.Attribute{
-		{Type: unix.NFTA_RULE_TABLE, Data: []byte(t.Name + "\x00")},
-		{Type: unix.NFTA_RULE_CHAIN, Data: []byte(c.Name + "\x00")},
-		{Type: unix.NFTA_RULE_USERDATA, Data: binaryutil.BigEndian.PutUint32(ruleID)},
-	})
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, err
-	}
-	message := netlink.Message{
-		Header: netlink.Header{
-			Type:  netlink.HeaderType((unix.NFNL_SUBSYS_NFTABLES << 8) | unix.NFT_MSG_GETRULE),
-			Flags: netlink.Request | netlink.Acknowledge | netlink.Dump | unix.NLM_F_ECHO,
-		},
-		Data: append(extraHeader(uint8(t.Family), 0), data...),
-	}
-	if _, err := conn.SendMessages([]netlink.Message{message}); err != nil {
-		return 0, fmt.Errorf("SendMessages: %v", err)
-	}
-	reply, err := conn.Receive()
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, fmt.Errorf("Receive: %v", err)
-	}
-	for _, msg := range reply {
-		rr, err := ruleFromMsg(msg)
-		if err != nil {
-			return 0, err
-		}
-		if rr.RuleID == ruleID {
-			return rr.Handle, nil
-		}
-	}
-
-	return 0, fmt.Errorf("rule with id %d is not found", ruleID)
-}
-
 // AddRule adds the specified Rule
 func (cc *Conn) AddRule(r *Rule) *Rule {
 	exprAttrs := make([]netlink.Attribute, len(r.Exprs))
@@ -144,9 +98,9 @@ func (cc *Conn) AddRule(r *Rule) *Rule {
 	msgData := []byte{}
 	msgData = append(msgData, data...)
 	var flags netlink.HeaderFlags
-	if r.RuleID != 0 {
+	if r.UserData != nil {
 		msgData = append(msgData, cc.marshalAttr([]netlink.Attribute{
-			{Type: unix.NFTA_RULE_USERDATA, Data: binaryutil.BigEndian.PutUint32(r.RuleID)},
+			{Type: unix.NFTA_RULE_USERDATA, Data: r.UserData},
 		})...)
 	}
 	if r.Position != 0 {
@@ -286,7 +240,7 @@ func ruleFromMsg(msg netlink.Message) (*Rule, error) {
 		case unix.NFTA_RULE_HANDLE:
 			r.Handle = ad.Uint64()
 		case unix.NFTA_RULE_USERDATA:
-			r.RuleID = ad.Uint32()
+			r.UserData = ad.Bytes()
 		}
 	}
 	return &r, ad.Err()