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tcpdump project preview
SecurityAlternative to FiddlerAlternative to WiresharkAlternative to TShark

tcpdump

The premier command-line packet analyzer and packet capture engine for Unix.

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LicenseBSD-3-Clause
GitHub stars3.2k
Last commit1 weeks ago
Tags6 topics
Bpf FilteringLibpcap SnifferDevopsPcap CaptureC NetworkingPacket Analyzer
Overview

Why consider tcpdump?

tcpdump is the quintessential command-line packet analyzer and sniffer written in C by Van Jacobson and the Tcpdump Group. Powered by libpcap, tcpdump captures raw Ethernet, IP, TCP, and UDP frames with BPF packet filtering expressions, exporting standard PCAP files.

Guided learning

Learn tcpdump by building

Practical setup notes, real use cases, and copy-ready examples in one focused guide.

1 min read 2 sections
In this guide2 sections

Overview of tcpdump

tcpdump captures raw network packets directly from network interfaces for deep protocol analysis.

Quickstart

bash
1# Capture port 80 traffic to PCAP file
2sudo tcpdump -i any port 80 -w capture.pcap

tcpdump is licensed under the BSD-3-Clause License.

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tcpdump FAQs

tcpdump is listed as a Security tool on TiloBox. Review the overview, features, and official documentation on this page to decide whether it solves your specific workflow.

Start with the project's GitHub repository and official website for supported installation and deployment instructions. Test the setup with representative data or a small project before rolling it out more widely.

tcpdump is listed under the BSD-3-Clause license. Read the complete license text and the project's notices before using, modifying, or distributing the software.

Production readiness depends on your requirements. Review maintenance activity, security practices, documentation, backup and upgrade procedures, and compatibility with your stack; then validate it in a non-production environment.

tcpdump is listed as an alternative to Fiddler. Compare the core workflow, deployment model, integrations, and licensing against your must-have requirements before switching.