macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install fprobelocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install fprobeMacPorts ports tree · net/fprobe/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install fprobe with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts
Libpcap-based NetFlow probe. Version 1.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add fprobeAlpine Linux edge package indexes · fprobe · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install fprobeDebian stable package indexes · fprobe · source: deb.debian.org
overview
Package summary
Libpcap-based NetFlow probe
Project links
Commands and aliases
- fprobe
history
Project history and usage
fprobe is a libpcap-based NetFlow probe. Its official homepage and README describe a tool that collects network traffic data and emits it as NetFlow records to a configured collector.
Project history
The SourceForge project was registered on 2002-09-27. The ChangeLog in the official 1.1 source archive records fprobe 0.8 on 2002-10-25 as the first public release, with partial NetFlow 1, 5, and 7 support and builds tested on Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris on x86.
The 2002 and 2003 releases moved quickly toward production daemon behavior: performance-oriented rewrites, larger hash tables, memory controls, realtime scheduling, SNMP interface index workarounds, TCP flags, daemonization, syslog logging, pidfiles, tcpdump file input, multiple collectors, and manpage updates. Version 1.1 in 2005 included bug fixes, feature enhancement, and a default hash change related to algorithmic-complexity DoS hardening.
Adoption history
The official SourceForge project remains the download and file-release surface, with release archives from 2002 through 2005 and a project page listing ongoing downloads. Its homepage pairs fprobe with fprobe-ulog, a Linux-only libipulog fork for iptables ULOG packet capture.
How it is used
fprobe runs as a system-oriented command that captures from a libpcap interface or from tcpdump -w data on stdin, applies an optional tcpdump-style filter, tracks flows, and sends NetFlow to one or more remote collectors. Its man page documents interface selection, filters, timers, NetFlow version selection, source address, queue and memory limits, realtime priority, chroot/user options, and collector syntax.
Why package nerds care
fprobe is a compact example of early-2000s Unix network-monitoring packaging: a small C daemon, libpcap dependency, man page, init-script contribution, and SourceForge tarball releases. It matters historically as a bridge between packet capture tools and NetFlow collectors before flow export was routine in commodity monitoring stacks.
Timeline
- 2002: SourceForge project registered.
- 2002: fprobe 0.8 first public release.
- 2002: fprobe 0.90 focused on performance improvements.
- 2003: fprobe 1.0 was released with changed filter behavior, option -K, and manpage updates.
- 2004: fprobe 1.0.5 changed the default tool location to /usr/sbin and moved the man page to section 8.
- 2005: fprobe 1.1 was released with bug fixes, feature enhancement, and default hash hardening.
Related projects
- The homepage describes fprobe-ulog as a libipulog-based fork for Linux netfilter ULOG capture. The README also points to nProbe, a namesake fprobe project by Bogdan Surdu, Softflowd, Cisco NetFlow resources, and network-monitoring link collections.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
fprobe | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://sourceforge.net/projects/fprobe/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://sourceforge.net/projects/fprobe/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:fprobe |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/fprobe |
| Homepage | https://sourceforge.net/projects/fprobe/ |
| Repository | https://sourceforge.net/p/fprobe/code |
| Upstream docs | https://fprobe.sourceforge.net/ |
| License | GPL-2.0-only |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/fprobe/fprobe/1.1/fprobe-1.1.tar.bz2 |
| Uses from macOS | libpcap |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | fprobe |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
fprobe 1.1-8+b1
export captured traffic to remote NetFlow Collector
sudo apt install fprobe- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fprobe
- 5 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fprobe
Ubuntu apt95%
fprobe 1.1-8build2
export captured traffic to remote NetFlow Collector
sudo apt install fprobe- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- 5 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fprobe
apk95%
fprobe 1.1-r13
libpcap-based tool that collect network traffic
https://fprobe.sourceforge.net/
sudo apk add fprobe- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fprobe
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fprobe
apk95%
fprobe-doc 1.1-r13
libpcap-based tool that collect network traffic (documentation)
https://fprobe.sourceforge.net/
sudo apk add fprobe-doc- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fprobe
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fprobe
apk95%
fprobe-openrc 1.1-r13
libpcap-based tool that collect network traffic (OpenRC init scripts)
https://fprobe.sourceforge.net/
sudo apk add fprobe-openrc- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fprobe
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fprobe
MacPorts95%
fprobe
sudo port install fprobe- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fprobe
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment