Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

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

Portable library for network traffic capture. Version 1.10.6 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install libpcap

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install libpcap

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

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add libpcap

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

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install libpcap-dev

Debian stable package indexes · libpcap-dev · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install libpcap

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

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#libpcap

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

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S libpcap

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

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install libpcap-devel

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

overview

Package summary

Portable library for network traffic capture

Commands and aliases

  • pcap-config

history

Project history and usage

libpcap is the portable packet-capture library maintained with tcpdump by The Tcpdump Group. It gives programs a common C API for capturing packets and compiling packet filters across Unix-like operating systems whose native capture interfaces differ.

Project history

The project grew out of the tcpdump and Berkeley Packet Filter lineage. Steve McCanne's SharkFest 2011 talk traces the packet-capture work back to a 1988 Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory setting, while the 1993 BPF paper documents the kernel/user-level filtering architecture that made efficient capture practical.

The Tcpdump Group later maintained libpcap as a separate library paired with tcpdump. The repository and CHANGES file show long-running attention to operating-system capture backends, filter syntax, savefile reading, remote capture support, and ABI concerns.

Adoption history

libpcap became infrastructure rather than an end-user application: tcpdump, analyzers, monitors, and security tools can link against one API while relying on each operating system's capture mechanism underneath. The upstream README explicitly addresses Linux distributions and BSD systems that ship libpcap and warns packagers not to encode release-specific sonames.

Its adoption is also tied to the pcap file and filter culture around tcpdump: packet captures, reproducible troubleshooting, and command-line network forensics all use libpcap conventions even when users interact through higher-level tools.

How it is used

Developers use libpcap to enumerate capture devices, open live or saved captures, compile packet filters, and read packet records. Package-manager users usually install it as a dependency of network tools or as development headers for software that needs packet capture.

The small `pcap-config` utility is package-nerd visible because build systems and ports use it to discover compiler and linker flags for libpcap.

Why package nerds care

libpcap matters because it is a thin but durable portability layer over messy kernel capture APIs. It is the package that turns packet capture from an operating-system-specific problem into a linkable library dependency.

It is also a classic packaging stress test: headers, shared-library ABI, privileged capture behavior, optional capture backends, and security-sensitive parsers all meet in one small C library.

Timeline

  • 1988: tcpdump and BPF lineage begins in the Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory packet-capture work described by Steve McCanne.
  • 1993: The BSD Packet Filter paper documents the efficient packet filtering architecture behind the tcpdump/libpcap family.
  • 2003-11-12: The libpcap CHANGES file records the 0.8 release summary.
  • 2008-10-27: The libpcap CHANGES file records the 1.0.0 release summary.
  • 2023-04-07: The libpcap CHANGES file records the 1.10.4 release summary.

Related projects

  • tcpdump is libpcap's sibling command-line analyzer and the most direct companion project.
  • BPF is the filtering architecture behind libpcap filter compilation and efficient packet selection.
  • WinPcap and Npcap are Windows-oriented relatives in the pcap ecosystem, while Wireshark is a major downstream packet-analysis application in the same capture-file culture.

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 6 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

CommandKindExposureNote
pcap-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 version1.10.6
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://www.tcpdump.org/

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
  • infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.tcpdump.org/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:libpcap
Version1.10.6
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libpcap
Homepagehttps://www.tcpdump.org/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/the-tcpdump-group/libpcap
Upstream docshttps://www.tcpdump.org/manpages
LicenseBSD-3-Clause
Source archivehttps://www.tcpdump.org/release/libpcap-1.10.6.tar.gz
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namelibpcap
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Head VersionHEAD
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyyes
URL Keys
  • head
  • 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%

libpcap-dev 1.10.5-2

development library for libpcap (transitional package)

https://www.tcpdump.org/

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

libpcap0.8-dev 1.10.5-2

development library and header files for libpcap0.8t64

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo apt install libpcap0.8-dev
  • Section: libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 3 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libpcap0.8-dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

libpcap0.8t64 1.10.5-2

system interface for user-level packet capture

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo apt install libpcap0.8t64
  • Section: libs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: libpcap0.8t64 from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

libpcap

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

libpcap-dev 1.10.4-4.1ubuntu3

development library for libpcap (transitional package)

https://www.tcpdump.org/

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

libpcap0.8-dev 1.10.4-4.1ubuntu3

development library and header files for libpcap0.8t64

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo apt install libpcap0.8-dev
  • Section: libdevel
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 4 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libpcap0.8-dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

libpcap0.8t64 1.10.4-4.1ubuntu3

system interface for user-level packet capture

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo apt install libpcap0.8t64
  • Section: libs
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 3 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: libpcap0.8t64 from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

libpcap 1.10.6-r1

Portable library for network traffic capture

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo apk add libpcap
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libpcap from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

libpcap-dev 1.10.6-r1

Portable library for network traffic capture (development files)

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo apk add libpcap-dev
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libpcap-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

libpcap-doc 1.10.6-r1

Portable library for network traffic capture (documentation)

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo apk add libpcap-doc
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libpcap-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

libpcap 1.10.6-2.fc44

A system-independent interface for user-level packet capture

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo dnf install libpcap
  • License: ISC AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND BSD-4-Clause-UC
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: i686
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 4 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libpcap from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
dnf95%

libpcap-devel 1.10.6-2.fc44

Libraries and header files for the libpcap library

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo dnf install libpcap-devel
  • License: ISC AND BSD-2-Clause AND BSD-3-Clause AND BSD-4-Clause-UC
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: i686
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 5 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: libpcap-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
pacman95%

libpcap 1.10.6-1

A system-independent interface for user-level packet capture

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo pacman -S libpcap
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • 4 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: libpcap from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/core/os/x86_64/core.db.tar.gz
zypper95%

libpcap-devel 1.10.6-1.4

A Library for Network Sniffers

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo zypper install libpcap-devel
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 5 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libpcap-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

libpcap-devel-32bit 1.10.6-1.4

A Library for Network Sniffers

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo zypper install libpcap-devel-32bit
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 3 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libpcap-devel-32bit from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst
zypper95%

libpcap-devel-static 1.10.6-1.4

A Library for Network Sniffers

https://www.tcpdump.org/

sudo zypper install libpcap-devel-static
  • License: BSD-3-Clause
  • Category: Development/Libraries/C and C++
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: libpcap
  • 5 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Libpcap
openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libpcap-devel-static from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

package graph

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

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Same workflow

  • daemonloggerShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, packet-capture.
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  • gensioShares av.db curated category or tags: c-library, cli, networking.
  • gsaslShares av.db curated category or tags: c-library, cli, networking.
  • httpflowShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, networking, packet-capture, tcpdump.
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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