install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install sntop

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install sntop

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

overview

Package summary

Curses-based utility that polls hosts to determine connectivity

Project links

Commands and aliases

sntop

history

Project history and usage

sntop is a small ncurses, top-like monitor for checking whether configured network hosts are reachable. It is a SourceForge-era Unix utility: simple C code, terminal UI, fping/ping underneath, and package-manager availability for administrators who want a lightweight status board.

Project history

The official project site credits Robert M. Love and Chris M. Rivera and describes sntop as an ncurses-based console utility for monitoring host connectivity. It uses fping, with ping as a supported fallback, and displays results in a top-like format.

SourceForge's files page lists sntop 1.4.3 as a release from November 2001, placing the tool in the early-2000s wave of small Unix admin utilities distributed through SourceForge tarballs, RPMs, and Debian packages.

Adoption history

The input records Homebrew, Debian, and Ubuntu packages. SourceForge's file tree also includes source, source RPM, i386 RPM, and Debian-package areas, showing that sntop was packaged for multiple Unix/Linux consumption styles.

How it is used

Administrators configure hosts, then use sntop to poll them at intervals and view their status in a terminal. The official page also mentions HTML generation, secure terminal mode, color support, daemon mode, and running external files when a host changes state or goes down.

Why package nerds care

Package nerds care because sntop is exactly the kind of tiny operational tool that survives through distro recipes: it wraps existing primitives like fping in a curses display, has almost no conceptual overhead, and remains useful on servers where a full monitoring stack would be excessive.

Timeline

2001: SourceForge files page lists sntop 1.4.3 released.
2000s: SourceForge distribution includes source tarballs plus RPM and Debian packaging areas.
2026: Input package-manager facts list Homebrew, Debian, and Ubuntu packages.

Related projects

Related tools include fping, ping, top-style terminal monitors, and larger network monitoring systems.

Sources

https://sntop.sourceforge.net/
https://sourceforge.net/projects/sntop/
https://sourceforge.net/projects/sntop/files/
source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ~/.sntoprc/etc/sntoprc

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`sntop`	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 version1.4.3

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://sntop.sourceforge.net/

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://sntop.sourceforge.net/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:sntop
Version	1.4.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/sntop
Homepage	https://sntop.sourceforge.net/
Upstream docs	https://sntop.sourceforge.net/
License	GPL-2.0-only
Source archive	https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/sntop/sntop/1.4.3/sntop-1.4.3.tar.gz
Dependencies	fping
Uses from macOS	ncurses
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared
Caveats	sntop uses fping by default and fping can only be run by root by default. You can run `sudo sntop` (or `sntop -p` which uses standard ping). You should be certain that you trust any software you grant root privileges.

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	sntop
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.

Debian apt95%

sntop 1.4.3-8

curses-based utility that polls hosts to determine connectivity

https://sourceforge.net/projects/sntop

sudo apt install sntop

Section: net
Architecture: amd64
4 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Sntop

Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: sntop from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

Ubuntu apt95%

sntop 1.4.3-6

curses-based utility that polls hosts to determine connectivity

https://sourceforge.net/projects/sntop

sudo apt install sntop

Section: universe/net
Architecture: amd64
4 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Sntop

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: sntop from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

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/sntop.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install sntop with Homebrew, apt