macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install iftoplocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install iftopMacPorts ports tree · net/iftop/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install iftop with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Display an interface's bandwidth usage. Version 1.0pre4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add iftopAlpine Linux edge package indexes · iftop · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install iftopDebian stable package indexes · iftop · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install iftopFedora Rawhide package metadata · iftop · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#iftopnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/if/iftop/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S iftopArch Linux sync databases · iftop · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install iftopopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · iftop · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Display an interface's bandwidth usage
Project links
Commands and aliases
- iftop
history
Project history and usage
iftop is a terminal bandwidth monitor by Paul Warren and contributors. Its project page summarizes the idea directly: it does for network usage what top does for CPU usage, listening on an interface and showing bandwidth by host pairs.
It became a familiar admin tool because it answers an immediate operational question: which conversations are using the link right now?
Project history
The upstream ChangeLog records the first release as 0.1 on 2002-03-29. Early 2002 releases quickly added network-boundary analysis, cumulative totals, PPP support, Linux cooked sockets, port display, FreeBSD support, online help, service resolution controls, and bandwidth-in-bytes display.
By 2003 the tool had acquired autoconf/automake, better interface auto-selection, cumulative line totals, Solaris DLPI support, Mac OS X build fixes, config-file support, selectable averages, and command-line controls for port resolution.
Version 0.17 in 2006 added VLAN support and multiple portability fixes. Later 1.0 pre-release work added IPv6 support, text output mode, PFLOG support, many downstream portability fixes, and contributions routed through Debian, Fedora, Red Hat, and other users.
Adoption history
iftop spread widely through Unix and Linux package collections because it pairs libpcap packet capture with a top-like curses interface. The supplied metadata lists Alpine, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and openSUSE-style package names.
The project page also maintained a mailing list, public archives, pre-release tarballs, and a git repository, which helped distribution maintainers track patches even when stable releases were infrequent. Homebrew's formula notes that distributions package a 1.0 pre-release because upstream movement slowed after the 2014 pre-release.
How it is used
Users usually run iftop on a selected interface to see bandwidth grouped by source and destination host pairs. The UI supports options and interactive toggles for hostnames, ports, sorting, totals, averages, filters, display scaling, and text output.
Because it uses libpcap, iftop often needs elevated privileges or packet-capture permissions. It is most useful during incident response, capacity checks, and quick diagnosis of unexpected traffic.
Why package nerds care
iftop is one of the canonical small admin packages: a memorable name, a single job, a curses UI, libpcap underneath, and years of downstream patches keeping it buildable across systems.
It also occupies the sweet spot between tcpdump and full network-monitoring suites. Package it once, run it over SSH, and get an immediate visual answer without setting up a daemon or dashboard.
Timeline
- 2002-03-29: 0.1 first release.
- 2002-10-22: 0.9 adds FreeBSD support, online help, service toggles, and bandwidth-in-bytes display.
- 2003-01-08: 0.11 adds autoconf/automake and improved interface auto-selection.
- 2003-11-10: 0.15 adds config-file support and display controls.
- 2006-02-12: 0.17 adds VLAN support and portability fixes.
- 2014-01-19: 1.0pre4 is the pre-release packaged by Homebrew and other distributions.
Related projects
- top is the direct interface analogy named by upstream.
- tcpdump, libpcap, pcap, ncurses, ntop, bmon, nload, iptraf-ng, and ifstat are adjacent command-line or terminal network-monitoring tools.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
iftop | 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 version1.0pre4
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://pdw.ex-parrot.com/iftop/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://pdw.ex-parrot.com/iftop/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:iftop |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.0pre4 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/iftop |
| Homepage | https://pdw.ex-parrot.com/iftop/ |
| Repository | https://code.blinkace.com/pdw/iftop |
| Upstream docs | https://pdw.ex-parrot.com/iftop |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://pdw.ex-parrot.com/iftop/download/iftop-1.0pre4.tar.gz |
| Uses from macOS | libpcap, ncurses |
| 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 |
| Caveats | iftop requires root privileges so you will need to run `sudo iftop`. You should be certain that you trust any software you grant root privileges. |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | iftop |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| 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%
iftop 1.0~pre4-9+b1
displays bandwidth usage information on an network interface
http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/
sudo apt install iftop- Section: net
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: iftop
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Iftop
Nix95%
iftop
nix profile install nixpkgs#iftop- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Iftop
Ubuntu apt95%
iftop 1.0~pre4-9build2
displays bandwidth usage information on an network interface
http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/
sudo apt install iftop- Section: universe/net
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Iftop
apk95%
iftop 1.0_pre4-r0
A tool to display bandwidth usage on an interface
https://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/
sudo apk add iftop- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: iftop
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Iftop
apk95%
iftop-doc 1.0_pre4-r0
A tool to display bandwidth usage on an interface (documentation)
https://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/
sudo apk add iftop-doc- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: iftop
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Iftop
dnf95%
iftop 1.0-0.38.pre4.fc44
Command line tool that displays bandwidth usage on an interface
http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/
sudo dnf install iftop- License: GPL-2.0-or-later AND BSD-4-Clause-UC
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: iftop
- 7 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Iftop
pacman95%
iftop 1.0pre4-6
Display bandwidth usage on an interface
http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/
sudo pacman -S iftop- License: GPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Iftop
zypper95%
iftop 0.99.4-11.3
Real-Time Interface Bandwidth Usage
https://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/
sudo zypper install iftop- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/Networking/Diagnostic
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: iftop
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Iftop
MacPorts95%
iftop
sudo port install iftop- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Iftop
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