Essential CLI Tools for Network Engineers

Network Analysis & Monitoring

# tcpdump - Packet analyzer
tcpdump -i any port 80
 
# tshark - CLI version of Wireshark
tshark -i eth0 -f "port 80"
 
# mtr - Modern traceroute/ping combo
mtr google.com
 
# iftop - Network bandwidth monitor
sudo iftop -i eth0
 
# nethogs - Per-process bandwidth monitor
sudo nethogs eth0

System Monitoring

# htop - Interactive process viewer
htop
 
# glances - System monitor with web interface
glances
 
# nmon - Performance monitor
nmon
 
# sysstat (iostat, mpstat, sar)
iostat -x 1
sar -n DEV 1

Network Testing

# wrk - HTTP benchmarking tool
wrk -t12 -c400 -d30s http://localhost
 
# ab - Apache benchmark tool
ab -n 1000 -c 100 http://localhost/
 
# siege - HTTP load testing
siege -c 100 -t 30S http://localhost
 
# hey - HTTP load generator
hey -n 1000 http://localhost/

DNS Tools

# doggo - Modern DNS client
doggo example.com
 
# dnstracer - Trace DNS path
dnstracer example.com
 
# dnsdist - DNS loadbalancer
dnsdist -C dnsdist.conf
 
# pdns - PowerDNS utilities
pdns_control ping

SSL/TLS Analysis

# sslyze - SSL/TLS scanner
sslyze --regular example.com
 
# testssl.sh - SSL/TLS testing
./testssl.sh example.com
 
# sslscan - SSL/TLS scanner
sslscan example.com

Web Testing

# httpie - Modern HTTP client
http GET example.com
 
# curlie - Curl with httpie UI
curlie example.com
 
# xh - Friendly HTTP client
xh example.com
 
# websocat - WebSocket client
websocat ws://example.com/socket

Network Discovery

# masscan - Fast port scanner
sudo masscan -p1-65535 192.168.1.0/24
 
# zmap - Network scanner
sudo zmap -p 80 192.168.1.0/24
 
# arp-scan - ARP scanner
sudo arp-scan --localnet
 
# netdiscover - Active/passive ARP recon
sudo netdiscover -r 192.168.1.0/24

Bandwidth Testing

# speedtest-cli - Speed test
speedtest-cli
 
# fast-cli - Netflix speed test
fast-cli
 
# bmon - Bandwidth monitor
bmon
 
# cbm - Color bandwidth meter
cbm

Network Configuration

# nmtui - NetworkManager TUI
nmtui
 
# iw - Wireless configuration
iw dev wlan0 scan
 
# iwctl - iwd wireless daemon client
iwctl
 
# bridge-utils
brctl show

Protocol Analysis

# termshark - Terminal Wireshark
termshark
 
# ngrep - Network grep
ngrep -d eth0 "^GET |^POST "
 
# tcpflow - TCP flow recorder
tcpflow -i eth0 port 80
 
# snort - Network IDS
snort -dev -l ./log

System Tools

# tmux - Terminal multiplexer
tmux
 
# screen - Terminal multiplexer
screen
 
# atop - Advanced system monitor
atop
 
# dstat - Versatile resource stats
dstat -cdngy

Log Analysis

# goaccess - Real-time log analyzer
goaccess access.log -c
 
# logwatch - Log analyzer and reporter
logwatch --detail high
 
# multitail - Multiple log viewer
multitail /var/log/syslog /var/log/auth.log
 
# lnav - Log file navigator
lnav /var/log/*

Performance Analysis

# perf - Linux profiling
perf stat command
 
# strace - System call tracer
strace command
 
# sysdig - System activity monitor
sysdig
 
# bpftrace - System analysis
bpftrace -e 'tracepoint:syscalls:sys_enter_*'

Container Networking

# ctop - Container metrics viewer
ctop
 
# dive - Docker image explorer
dive image:tag
 
# kubectl - Kubernetes CLI
kubectl get pods -o wide
 
# stern - Multi pod/container log tailing
stern pod-query

Security Tools

# fail2ban-client - Ban management
sudo fail2ban-client status
 
# rkhunter - Rootkit hunter
sudo rkhunter --check
 
# lynis - Security auditing
sudo lynis audit system
 
# nikto - Web server scanner
nikto -h example.com

File Transfer

# rsync - Fast file transfer
rsync -avz source/ dest/
 
# magic-wormhole - Secure file transfer
wormhole send file.txt
 
# croc - File transfer
croc send file.txt
 
# ffsend - Firefox Send client
ffsend upload file.txt

Useful Utilities

# jq - JSON processor
curl api.example.com | jq .
 
# yq - YAML processor
yq eval '.key' file.yaml
 
# fzf - Fuzzy finder
history | fzf
 
# ripgrep - Fast grep
rg pattern

Installation

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install \
    htop glances nmon sysstat \
    iftop nethogs bmon \
    mtr-tiny tcpdump tshark \
    httpie curl \
    tmux screen \
    iotop atop \
    rsync
 
# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install \
    htop glances nmon \
    iftop nethogs bmon \
    mtr tcpdump wireshark \
    httpie curl \
    tmux screen \
    rsync

Remember:

• Keep tools updated
• Check man pages for detailed usage
• Consider security implications
• Test in safe environment first
• Monitor system impact
• Document configurations

These tools significantly enhance network troubleshooting and system administration capabilities. Choose tools based on your specific needs and system requirements.