netcat vs socat
A side-by-side look at netcat and socat. For an in-depth review of either product, follow the links below.
netcat
Network & Admin
Netcat is a networking utility for reading from and writing to network connections using TCP or UDP. It can be used to create simple one-shot connections, interface with more full-featured network services, and build quick backdoors and relays.
networkingtcpudpconnectionsbackdoorsrelays
socat
Network & Admin
socat is a command line utility that establishes two bidirectional byte streams and transfers data between them. It can be used for various networking and connectivity tasks like creating TCP ports, SOCKS proxies, or UNIX sockets.
networkingconnectivitytcpsocketsproxy