tcpflow vs Termshark

Struggling to choose between tcpflow and Termshark? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

tcpflow is a Network & Admin solution with tags like tcp, network, monitoring, flows, packets, capture.

It boasts features such as Captures TCP traffic flows from live network interfaces or packet capture files, Reassembles TCP streams and stores application-layer data, Stores TCP metadata like sequence numbers, acknowledgments, window advertisements, Supports BPF filters for selective capturing, Outputs flows in various formats like ASCII, CSV, JSON, Can extract files based on signatures, Has a library API for programmatic access and pros including Open source and free, Lightweight and fast, Powerful BPF filtering capabilities, Extensible via plugins, Portable across platforms, Can extract files and media, CLI and library API available.

On the other hand, Termshark is a Network & Admin product tagged with terminal, network, protocol, analyzer, packets, cli.

Its standout features include Captures live packet data from network interfaces, Displays packets in a terminal user interface, Filters packets using display filters, Analyzes protocols including TCP, UDP, HTTP, DNS, and more, Supports common capture file formats like PCAP and PCAPNG, Runs natively in Linux terminal without a GUI, Built on top of TShark and Wireshark libraries, and it shines with pros like Lightweight terminal-based interface, No GUI overhead or dependencies, Works over SSH connections, Fast and responsive for analyzing live captures, Powerful display filters, Leverages Wireshark protocol analysis.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

tcpflow

tcpflow

tcpflow is an open source tool for capturing TCP traffic flows. It works by capturing packets from network interfaces or packet capture files, reassembling TCP streams, and storing application-layer data with relevant TCP metadata.

Categories:
tcp network monitoring flows packets capture

Tcpflow Features

  1. Captures TCP traffic flows from live network interfaces or packet capture files
  2. Reassembles TCP streams and stores application-layer data
  3. Stores TCP metadata like sequence numbers, acknowledgments, window advertisements
  4. Supports BPF filters for selective capturing
  5. Outputs flows in various formats like ASCII, CSV, JSON
  6. Can extract files based on signatures
  7. Has a library API for programmatic access

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Open source and free

Lightweight and fast

Powerful BPF filtering capabilities

Extensible via plugins

Portable across platforms

Can extract files and media

CLI and library API available

Cons

Limited to TCP flows only

No fancy GUI

Steep learning curve

Need to process outputs for analysis

Not a full packet analyzer


Termshark

Termshark

Termshark is a terminal based network protocol analyzer. It allows you to inspect network traffic and analyze packets, similar to Wireshark, but runs in a terminal instead of a graphical interface.

Categories:
terminal network protocol analyzer packets cli

Termshark Features

  1. Captures live packet data from network interfaces
  2. Displays packets in a terminal user interface
  3. Filters packets using display filters
  4. Analyzes protocols including TCP, UDP, HTTP, DNS, and more
  5. Supports common capture file formats like PCAP and PCAPNG
  6. Runs natively in Linux terminal without a GUI
  7. Built on top of TShark and Wireshark libraries

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Lightweight terminal-based interface

No GUI overhead or dependencies

Works over SSH connections

Fast and responsive for analyzing live captures

Powerful display filters

Leverages Wireshark protocol analysis

Cons

Less intuitive than GUI-based Wireshark

Steeper learning curve for terminal usage

Limited to keyboard-based interaction

Harder to visualize packet flows

No built-in statistical summaries