Monitoring network traffic is an essential task for system administrators and developers. It allows you to identify potential issues, understand performance, and ensure that your network is running smoothly. In this article, we will discuss how to display network traffic in the terminal on Ubuntu using various tools and commands.
To display network traffic in the terminal on Ubuntu, you can use tools like bmon, slurm, tcptrack, iftop, and nethogs. These tools provide real-time monitoring of network traffic on specific interfaces, allowing you to identify bandwidth usage, troubleshoot network issues, and monitor network traffic per process. Additionally, you can also read network statistics directly from the /proc/net/dev file.
Monitoring Network Traffic
Monitoring network traffic involves observing the amount of data moving to and from your network interfaces. This can help you identify bandwidth hogs, detect network intrusions, and troubleshoot network issues.
Tools for Displaying Network Traffic
There are several tools available in Ubuntu to monitor network traffic. Here are some of the most commonly used ones:
bmon
bmon is a powerful network monitoring and debugging tool that provides a graph-like display of network traffic. To install bmon, use the following command:
sudo apt-get install bmonOnce installed, you can run bmon to start monitoring your network traffic.
slurm
slurm is another tool that provides a colored graph of your network traffic. Install it with the following command:
sudo apt-get install slurmAfter installation, run slurm -i eth0 to monitor the eth0 network interface.
tcptrack
tcptrack displays the amount of bandwidth being used along with information about the protocol and destination of the transmission. Install it with:
sudo apt-get install tcptrackYou can run tcptrack -i eth0 to monitor the eth0 network interface.
iftop
iftop is a command-line utility that displays network traffic on a specific interface. Install it with:
sudo apt install iftopAfter installation, run iftop -i eth0 to monitor the eth0 network interface.
nethogs
nethogs shows network traffic per process, allowing you to identify which process is using up bandwidth. Install it with:
sudo apt install nethogsAfter installation, run sudo nethogs to start monitoring network traffic per process.
Reading Network Statistics Directly
You can also read network statistics directly from the /proc/net/dev file. For example, the command cat /proc/net/dev | grep eth0 will display the RX (received) and TX (transmitted) bytes for the eth0 interface.
Conclusion
Monitoring network traffic in Ubuntu is a straightforward process thanks to the various tools and commands available. Whether you’re a system administrator or a developer, these tools can help you keep an eye on your network and troubleshoot any issues that arise.
To install the network monitoring tools mentioned in the article, you can use the apt-get install command followed by the name of the tool. For example, to install bmon, you can run sudo apt-get install bmon.
Once you have installed the network monitoring tools, you can start monitoring network traffic by running the respective command for each tool. For example, to start monitoring network traffic using bmon, simply run bmon in the terminal.
Yes, you can monitor network traffic on a specific network interface. Most of the tools mentioned in the article allow you to specify the network interface you want to monitor. For example, you can use the -i flag followed by the interface name to monitor traffic on a specific interface.
