Iftop
iftop is an open source command-line tool used to monitor network usage and bandwidth in real-time. It displays a table of current TCP/IP connections using bandwidth over a specified interface.
iftop: Open Source Network Bandwidth Monitor Tool
Real-time network usage and bandwidth monitoring tool, displaying current TCP/IP connections with bandwidth over a specified interface.
What is Iftop?
iftop is an open source command-line tool used to monitor network usage and bandwidth in real-time. It captures and displays a table of current TCP/IP connections that are using bandwidth on a chosen network interface.
Some key features of iftop:
- Displays real-time bandwidth usage on an interface
- Shows both inbound and outbound traffic
- Table view with source and destination hosts and ports
- Ability to filter by host or network
- Configurable refresh rate and bitrate measurement units
- Lightweight and low resource usage
iftop is useful for system administrators or network engineers who need to quickly view current connections and bandwidth usage on a network. It can help identify bandwidth hogs, suspicious connections, network issues, and general traffic patterns. The interface is intuitive with color-coding for rapid analysis.
Iftop Features
Features
- Displays bandwidth usage on selected network interface
- Shows both inbound and outbound traffic
- Can filter by IP address or network port
- Real-time monitoring and stats
- Text-based interface for terminal/CLI use
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Free and open source
Lightweight and low resource usage
Easy to use with no configuration needed
Good for identifying bandwidth hogs and monitoring network usage
Works on Linux, Unix, and BSD systems
Cons
Terminal-only, no GUI
Can only monitor one interface at a time
Not as feature-rich as commercial bandwidth monitors
Requires some Linux/Unix command line knowledge to use
Does not work on Windows
Official Links
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