Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install libnet with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

C library for creating IP packets. Version 1.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-15.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libnet

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install libnet

MacPorts ports tree · net/libnet/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add libnet

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · libnet · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libnet1

Debian stable package indexes · libnet1 · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install libnet

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · libnet · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libnet

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/li/libnet/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S libnet

Arch Linux sync databases · libnet · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libnet-devel

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · libnet-devel · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

C library for creating IP packets

Commands and aliases

  • libnet-config

history

Project history and usage

libnet is a C library for constructing and injecting network packets. It occupies the low-level packet-building side of the classic libpcap/libnet pairing: libpcap captures packets, while libnet gives test tools, scanners, and protocol experiments a portable API for emitting packets with controlled headers.

Project history

The project traces its 1.1 line to Mike D. Schiffman's Packetfactory-era work, with project materials crediting libnet 1.1 to 1998-2004. The maintained 1.1.3-and-later line was revived by Sam Roberts starting in 2009 after the older Packetfactory-hosted code had become unmaintained.

The 1.1 API was a significant break from 1.0.x code. The migration guide describes the change as a simplification from a five-step packet workflow to initialization, packet building, and packet writing, and the README warns that libnet 1.0.x code is incompatible with libnet 1.1.x and later.

Adoption history

libnet spread through security and networking tools because it hides byte ordering, buffer management, and link/IP layer packet assembly details while still allowing deliberate packet shaping. The official README names packaged tools such as arping, ettercap, nemesis, packit, tcptraceroute, and yersinia as libnet users.

How it is used

Developers include libnet through libnet.h and link with -lnet. The project retained libnet-config for compatibility but moved new integration guidance toward pkg-config, with libnet.pc replacing the older helper in modern builds.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, libnet is notable because it is tiny in concept but sits on privileged and platform-specific network interfaces. Its ABI break between 1.0.x and 1.1.x, the revival from an abandoned upstream, and the long-lived libnet-config compatibility shim are exactly the sort of details that explain why distributions keep careful split packages and rebuild notes for it.

Timeline

  • 1998-2004: libnet 1.1 materials credit Mike D. Schiffman for the Packetfactory-era implementation.
  • 2009: Sam Roberts began maintaining the 1.1.3-and-later line after the older upstream had gone quiet.
  • 2012: libnet 1.1.6 appeared in the SourceForge-hosted release area.
  • 2023: GitHub listed libnet v1.3 as a release dated October 2, 2023.

Related projects

  • libpcap is the natural companion library for capture-side workflows.
  • Packet-generation and network-security tools named by the project include arping, ettercap, nemesis, packit, tcptraceroute, and yersinia.

security posture

Risk level: green

library-like package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • library-like package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:library-like

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 10 platform targets.
  • Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

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

CommandKindExposureNote
libnet-configcliglobal 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 version1.3
manager updated2026-06-15
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/libnet/libnet

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:libnet
Version1.3
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libnet
Homepagehttps://codedocs.xyz/libnet/libnet/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/libnet/libnet
Upstream docshttps://codedocs.xyz/libnet/libnet
LicenseBSD-2-Clause
Source archivehttps://github.com/libnet/libnet/releases/download/v1.3/libnet-1.3.tar.gz
Last updated2026-06-15T10:20:20-04:00
Pulseupdated
Build dependenciesdoxygen
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namelibnet
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • stable

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%

libnet1 1.3+dfsg-2

library for the construction and handling of network packets

https://github.com/libnet/libnet/

sudo apt install libnet1
  • Section: libs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libnet1 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

libnet1-dev 1.3+dfsg-2

development files for libnet

https://github.com/libnet/libnet/

sudo apt install libnet1-dev
  • Section: libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libnet1-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

libnet1-doc 1.3+dfsg-2

developers documentation files for libnet

https://github.com/libnet/libnet/

sudo apt install libnet1-doc
  • Section: doc
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libnet1-doc from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

libnet

nix profile install nixpkgs#libnet
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libnet/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

libnet1 1.1.6+dfsg-3.2build1

library for the construction and handling of network packets

http://libnet-dev.sourceforge.net/

sudo apt install libnet1
  • Section: libs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libnet1 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

libnet1-dbg 1.1.6+dfsg-3.2build1

debugging symbols for libnet

http://libnet-dev.sourceforge.net/

sudo apt install libnet1-dbg
  • Section: libs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 1 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libnet1-dbg from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

libnet1-dev 1.1.6+dfsg-3.2build1

development files for libnet

http://libnet-dev.sourceforge.net/

sudo apt install libnet1-dev
  • Section: libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libnet1-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

libnet1-doc 1.1.6+dfsg-3.2build1

developers documentation files for libnet

http://libnet-dev.sourceforge.net/

sudo apt install libnet1-doc
  • Section: doc
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 1 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libnet1-doc from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

libnet 1.3-r0

A generic networking API that provides access to several protocols.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/libnet-dev/

sudo apk add libnet
  • License: BSD-2-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libnet from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

libnet-dev 1.3-r0

A generic networking API that provides access to several protocols. (development files)

https://sourceforge.net/projects/libnet-dev/

sudo apk add libnet-dev
  • License: BSD-2-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libnet-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

libnet-doc 1.3-r0

A generic networking API that provides access to several protocols. (documentation)

https://sourceforge.net/projects/libnet-dev/

sudo apk add libnet-doc
  • License: BSD-2-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libnet
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libnet-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

libnet-static 1.3-r0

A generic networking API that provides access to several protocols. (static library)

https://sourceforge.net/projects/libnet-dev/

sudo apk add libnet-static
  • License: BSD-2-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libnet
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libnet-static from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

libnet 1.3-7.fc44

C library for portable packet creation and injection

https://github.com/libnet/libnet

sudo dnf install libnet
  • License: BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: i686
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 2 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libnet from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
dnf95%

libnet-devel 1.3-7.fc44

Development files for the libnet library

https://github.com/libnet/libnet

sudo dnf install libnet-devel
  • License: BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: i686
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 5 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libnet-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
dnf95%

libnet-doc 1.3-7.fc44

Documentation files for the libnet library

https://github.com/libnet/libnet

sudo dnf install libnet-doc
  • License: BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: noarch
  • Source Package: libnet
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libnet-doc from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
pacman95%

libnet 2:1.3-2

A library which provides API for commonly used low-level net functions

https://github.com/libnet/libnet

sudo pacman -S libnet
  • License: BSD-2-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libnet
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: libnet from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • doxygenBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • arpingPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • arpoisonPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • ettercapPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • ssldumpPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • sslsplitPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • suricataPopular package that depends on this formula.
  • syslog-ngPopular package that depends on this formula.

Same workflow

  • c-aresShares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, library, networking.
  • czmqShares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, library, networking.
  • xmlrpc-cShares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, library, networking.
  • chinadns-cShares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, networking.
  • gupnpShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, library, networking.
  • hesiodShares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, library, networking.

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.

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