iptraf-ng
iptraf-ng is an enhanced version of the original IPTraf network monitoring tool, providing a full-screen, menu-driven console interface for monitoring network traffic, TCP/UDP connections, and packet statistics. It offers detailed breakdowns by protocol, port, and interface, making it a comprehensive tool for network diagnostics and traffic analysis from the terminal.
Key Features
- Traffic monitoring — Real-time display of IP traffic by protocol (TCP, UDP, ICMP, IP)
- Connection tracking — Detailed TCP connection table with state, timing, and data counts
- Interface statistics — Per-interface packet and byte counts for IP, TCP, UDP, ICMP, and non-IP
- Packet size distribution — Histogram of packet sizes for each interface
- LAN station monitoring — Track traffic from specific MAC addresses on the local network
- Filtering — Host-specific, port-specific, and protocol-specific traffic filters
- Logging — Captures activity logs to file for offline analysis
Why Use It
iptraf-ng is the most comprehensive TUI network monitor available. While tools like iftop focus on bandwidth and nethogs on per-process traffic, iptraf-ng provides a complete picture including packet size distribution, Ethernet-level station monitoring, and detailed TCP connection state tracking.
Use Cases
- Network diagnostics — Pinpoint connectivity issues with detailed protocol-level breakdowns
- Traffic profiling — Understand the protocol mix and packet size distribution on your network
- Security monitoring — Detect unusual connection patterns and port scans
- LAN administration — Monitor traffic from specific devices on your local network
Platform
Linux
Licence
GNU General Public License v2.0