macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install snifferlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install sniffer with Homebrew
Modern alternative network traffic sniffer. Version 0.6.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Modern alternative network traffic sniffer
Project links
Commands and aliases
- sniffer
history
Project history and usage
sniffer is a terminal network traffic analyzer written as a modern alternative to tools such as bandwhich and nethogs. It uses libpcap through gopacket and presents process and connection traffic in a responsive TUI.
Project history
The public GitHub repository was created in 2021. The official README describes a troubleshooting tool that can be started on demand without loading kernel modules and can capture traffic across Linux, macOS, and Windows-specific process matching approaches.
Adoption history
The project has a narrower packaging footprint than the older networking tools it references. The supplied package facts list Homebrew packaging, while the README documents Go installation and Homebrew installation on macOS.
How it is used
Users run sniffer with flags for BPF filters, device prefixes, refresh interval, view mode, DNS resolution, and traffic units. The README documents bytes, packets, and plot modes plus terminal hotkeys.
Why package nerds care
sniffer is notable as a small Go CLI that still depends on platform packet-capture facilities: libpcap on Unix-like systems and npcap on Windows. That makes it a packaging example where a statically built Go binary still has native capture prerequisites.
Timeline
- 2021: Public GitHub repository created.
- 2021: README links an introductory article dated 2021-11-17.
- 2025: GitHub metadata shows repository updates after initial release.
Related projects
- The official README names gopacket, libpcap, bandwhich, nethogs, ss, lsof, gopsutil, npcap, and iperf as related tools or dependencies.
Sources
- https://api.github.com/repos/chenjiandongx/sniffer
- https://github.com/chenjiandongx/sniffer#readme
- source_facts.package-manager
security posture
Risk level: red
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal.
Risk classifier
red risk · medium confidence · escape-surveillance-offensive
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
- escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal
Signals
- text:network
- text:sniffer
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 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
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
sniffer | 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 version0.6.3
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv0.6.3
https://github.com/chenjiandongx/sniffer
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:sniffer |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.6.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/sniffer |
| Homepage | https://github.com/chenjiandongx/sniffer |
| Repository | https://github.com/chenjiandongx/sniffer |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/chenjiandongx/sniffer#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/chenjiandongx/sniffer/archive/refs/tags/v0.6.3.tar.gz |
| Build dependencies | go |
| Uses from macOS | libpcap |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, 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 | sniffer |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
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
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment