# 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 ```sh sudo av install brew:iftop ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install iftop ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install iftop ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: net/iftop/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add iftop ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: iftop from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install iftop ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: iftop from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install iftop ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: iftop from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#iftop ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/if/iftop/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S iftop ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: iftop from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install iftop ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: iftop from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:iftop - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.0pre4 - **Source summary:** Display an interface's bandwidth usage - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - iftop (cli) - iftop (alias) ## Uses from macOS - libpcap - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - 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. - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.0pre4 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://pdw.ex-parrot.com/iftop/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## 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 Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - iftop - 1.0~pre4-9+b1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: iftop from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | displays bandwidth usage information on an network interface | http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/ - Nix - iftop: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/if/iftop/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - iftop - 1.0~pre4-9build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: iftop from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | displays bandwidth usage information on an network interface | http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/ - apk - iftop - 1.0_pre4-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: iftop from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A tool to display bandwidth usage on an interface | https://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/ - apk - iftop-doc - 1.0_pre4-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: iftop-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | A tool to display bandwidth usage on an interface (documentation) | https://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/ - dnf - iftop - 1.0-0.38.pre4.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: iftop from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Command line tool that displays bandwidth usage on an interface | http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/ - pacman - iftop - 1.0pre4-6: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: iftop from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Display bandwidth usage on an interface | http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/ - zypper - iftop - 0.99.4-11.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: iftop from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Real-Time Interface Bandwidth Usage | https://www.ex-parrot.com/~pdw/iftop/ - MacPorts - iftop: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: net/iftop/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [bmon](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bmon/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bandwidth, cli, interfaces, monitoring, network-monitoring. - [ifstat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ifstat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bandwidth, cli, interfaces, monitoring, network-monitoring. - [bwm-ng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bwm-ng/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bandwidth, cli, monitoring, network-monitoring, networking. - [mrtg](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mrtg/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bandwidth, cli, monitoring, network-monitoring, networking. - [nethogs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nethogs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bandwidth, cli, monitoring, network-monitoring, networking. - [nload](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nload/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: bandwidth, cli, monitoring, network-monitoring, networking. - [prettyping](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/prettyping/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, monitoring, network-monitoring, networking, terminal. - [slurm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/slurm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, monitoring, network-monitoring, networking, terminal. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/iftop.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/iftop.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph