Skip to content

How to Use Iptarf to Monitor Network Traffic and Bandwidth

homepage-banner

iptraf - Interactive Colorful IP LAN Monitor, also is an ncurses-based IP LAN monitor that generates various network statistics including TCP info, UDP counts, ICMP and OSPF information, Ethernet load info, node stats, IP checksum errors, and others.

Introduction

Monitoring network traffic and bandwidth usage is crucial for network administrators to ensure the smooth running of networks. One of the most popular and effective tools for network monitoring is Iptarf. Iptarf is a command-line tool that provides real-time monitoring of network traffic and bandwidth usage. In this blog post, we will discuss how to use Iptarf to monitor network traffic and bandwidth.

How to Install and Setup Iptarf

Before we start using Iptarf, we need to install and set it up. Iptarf is available in most Linux distributions, so you can install it using your distribution’s package manager. For example, in Ubuntu, you can install Iptarf using the following command:

sudo apt-get install iptraf

yum install iptraf iptraf-ng

Once Iptarf is installed, you can launch it by typing the following command in the terminal:

sudo iptraf

This will launch the Iptarf interface, from where you can start monitoring your network.

How to Use Iptarf to Monitor Network Traffic and Bandwidth

Viewing all network card traffic

iptraf -g
## or
iptraf-ng -g

View traffic traffic on each port of a certain network card

iptraf -s eth0

 iptraf-ng 1.1.4
l Proto/Port q Pkts q Bytes q PktsTo qqqqqq BytesTo qqqqq PktsFrom qqqq BytesFrom qk
x UDP/68   4      1336       0  0258    4      85334             16            6064            242           79270
x UDP/67                    4    258           85334       4    242           79270       0     160           6064
x UDP/546                   1     57            7406       0               0      1            157            7406
x UDP/547                   1     57            7406       1     57            7406       0       0
x UDP/53                    4    140           16032       2     70            4604       2     70     398   11428
x TCP/80                    1    512        80181599       1    274        80 41926       0    238          139673
x TCP/443                   1    561        80311332       1    297        80 38195       0    264          273137
x UDP/137                   2    308           24024       1    154        78 12012       78   154           12012
x UDP/123                   1      4        76   304       1      2        76   152       0      2             152
x TCP/23                    2               80             1               40     1       40
x TCP/445                   2      6        92   272       1      3        52   152       40     3             12

Classify traffic traffic by protocol

iptraf -d eth0

Filter by remote host port

iptraf -i eth0

Conclusion

Iptarf is a powerful tool for monitoring network traffic and bandwidth usage. With its real-time monitoring capabilities and detailed statistics, it is an essential tool for network administrators. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can easily install and set up Iptarf and start monitoring your network traffic and bandwidth usage.

Small world. Big idea!
  • Welcome to visit the knowledge base of SRE and DevOps!
  • License under CC BY-NC 4.0
  • No personal information is collected
  • Made with Material for MkDocs and generative AI tools
  • Copyright issue feedback me#imzye.com, replace # with @
  • Get latest SRE news and discuss on Discord Channel