install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install libprotoident

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#libprotoident

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

overview

Package summary

Performs application layer protocol identification for flows

Project links

Commands and aliases

lpi_arff
lpi_find_unknown
lpi_protoident

history

Project history and usage

libprotoident is a lightweight network-traffic classification library from the University of Waikato WAND research group. Its niche is application protocol identification using only a small amount of payload from each direction of a flow.

Project history

The source headers credit the University of Waikato WAND research group and carry copyright years beginning in 2011. The public GitHub repository was created on 2014-03-20, and the README identifies Shane Alcock as author with additional contributors.

The project frames itself as a deliberately limited form of deep packet inspection: it uses the first four bytes of application payload sent in each direction, plus flow metadata, instead of requiring complete packet payload capture.

Adoption history

libprotoident's adoption is concentrated in packet-trace and traffic-analysis circles rather than broad application development. Its README ties it to `libtrace` and `libflowmanager`, and its bundled tools operate on libtrace trace URIs, including live network-interface sources.

How it is used

The package provides a library API plus command-line tools: `lpi_protoident` identifies flows, `lpi_find_unknown` reports unidentified flows to aid new rule development, and `lpi_arff` emits ARFF output for Weka workflows.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, libprotoident is interesting because it sits between academic network measurement and practical CLI tooling. It pulls in the LibtraceTeam stack and gives users a packaged way to run protocol classification experiments without building the WAND tools by hand.

Timeline

2011: Source headers identify University of Waikato WAND work beginning in this period.
2014-03-20: The public GitHub repository was created.
2017-06-28: Version 2.0.11 added many protocols and moved tools to parallel libtrace and libflowmanager 3 compatibility.
2020-11-12: Version 2.0.15 added protocols, an industrial-control-systems category, and category lookup APIs.

Related projects

libtrace, libflowmanager, Weka, packet-trace analysis tools, and other traffic-classification projects such as nDPI and Zeek occupy adjacent space.

Sources

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 12 platform targets.
Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 3 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

Command	Kind	Exposure
`lpi_arff`	cli	global executable
`lpi_find_unknown`	cli	global executable
`lpi_protoident`	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 version2.0.15-2

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detected2.0.15-2

https://github.com/LibtraceTeam/libprotoident

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:libprotoident
Version	2.0.15-2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/libprotoident
Homepage	https://github.com/LibtraceTeam/libprotoident
Repository	https://github.com/LibtraceTeam/libprotoident
Upstream docs	https://github.com/LibtraceTeam/libprotoident/blob/master/README.md
License	LGPL-3.0-or-later
Source archive	https://github.com/LibtraceTeam/libprotoident/archive/refs/tags/2.0.15-2.tar.gz
Dependencies	libflowmanager, libtrace
Build dependencies	autoconf, automake, libtool
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, 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	libprotoident
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
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.

Nix95%

libprotoident

nix profile install nixpkgs#libprotoident

normalized package name match
Matched by: Libprotoident

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libprotoident/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

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

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.

combined/libprotoident.yml

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

Install libprotoident with Homebrew, Nix