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netcat VS Termshark

Compare netcat VS Termshark and see what are their differences

netcat logo netcat

Netcat is a featured networking utility which reads and writes data across network connections...

Termshark logo Termshark

A terminal user-interface for tshark, inspired by Wireshark.
  • netcat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-11-19
  • Termshark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-10

netcat features and specs

  • Versatility
    Netcat can be used for a wide variety of network-related tasks, including port scanning, file transfers, and working as a backdoor.
  • Simplicity
    Netcat operates with simple command-line arguments, making it easy to use for those familiar with command-line interfaces.
  • Speed
    Netcat is lightweight and performs network operations quickly, without the overhead associated with more complex tools.
  • Scriptability
    Netcat is highly scriptable, allowing users to automate network tasks by including it in bash or other scripts.
  • Cross-Platform
    Netcat is available on multiple operating systems including Unix, Linux, and Windows, making it a versatile tool for different environments.

Possible disadvantages of netcat

  • Security
    Netcat can be misused, as it is often favored by attackers for creating reverse shells and other malicious activities.
  • Lack of Encryption
    Netcat does not natively support encrypted connections, meaning data transmitted can be vulnerable to interception.
  • Minimal Logging
    Netcat provides minimal logging capabilities, which can make it difficult to track usage or troubleshoot issues.
  • Basic Functionality
    Netcat provides core networking functions but lacks advanced features found in specialized tools.
  • Cannot Handle High Load
    Netcat is not designed to handle high traffic loads effectively, making it less suitable for some enterprise use cases.

Termshark features and specs

  • Terminal-Based Interface
    Termshark provides a terminal-based user interface, enabling users comfortable with CLI tools to utilize packet analysis without needing a graphical environment.
  • Wireshark Compatibility
    Termshark supports the use of Wireshark’s packet dissection capabilities, which allows for detailed packet analysis similar to what users expect from Wireshark.
  • Cross-Platform
    The tool is cross-platform, meaning it can run on different operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it versatile for different user environments.
  • Resource Efficiency
    As a terminal-based application, Termshark is often more lightweight and can be less resource-intensive than graphical packet analyzers, which is beneficial on systems with limited resources.
  • TShark Backend
    Termshark leverages TShark, the command-line version of Wireshark, for capturing and analyzing packet data, providing robustness and reliability in its analyses.

Possible disadvantages of Termshark

  • Limited Visualizations
    Termshark, being a terminal-based tool, lacks advanced visualizations available in graphical packet analyzers, which may limit its usefulness for users who prefer visual data representation.
  • Learning Curve
    For users unfamiliar with command-line interfaces or packet analysis, Termshark might present a steep learning curve compared to simpler, graphical tools.
  • Dependency on TShark
    Termshark requires TShark to be installed and properly configured, which adds a level of dependency and initial setup complexity for new users.
  • Limited Debugging Features
    Compared to full-fledged graphical tools like Wireshark, Termshark may offer limited debugging and interactive examination features, potentially hindering deep packet investigation.

Analysis of netcat

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Netcat is considered a valuable tool in network troubleshooting and testing. Its simplicity and efficiency have garnered it a positive reputation in the networking community.

Why this product is good

  • Netcat is a versatile networking utility that is often described as a 'Swiss-army knife' for network engineers. It can be used for reading and writing data across network connections, making it perfect for port scanning, banner grabbing, or as a simple web server. Its lightweight nature and ease of use make it a popular choice among IT professionals.

Recommended for

    Netcat is recommended for network administrators, cybersecurity professionals, system engineers, and IT enthusiasts who need a flexible and straightforward tool for network diagnostics, data transfer, or security testing purposes.

netcat videos

Linux Terminal 101: Netcat

More videos:

  • Review - Advanced Netcat and TCP Fun - Hak5 1922
  • Review - Netcat 101: Remote Shells in Windows, HakTip 86

Termshark videos

Pinephone Mobian (Debian) - Termshark Sniffer Working, Apps, Firefox Tor Setup

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to netcat and Termshark)
Monitoring Tools
77 77%
23% 23
Log Management
73 73%
27% 27
Productivity
67 67%
33% 33
Security
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare netcat and Termshark

netcat Reviews

9 Best Angry IP Scanner Alternatives Reviewed 2021 (Free & Paid)
Netcat lacks a lot of the documentation you can easily find with software like AngryIP or Nmap which in my opinion is its biggest drawback. If you’re thinking about trying out Netcat, check out our Netcat Cheat Sheet to quickly pull up powerful and useful commands. Netcat is compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS systems.
Top 5 Best Port Scanners
Netcat is one of the oldest network tools in the "Unixverse", it's been there since 1995, and the last official version is from 2004. Although it has many forks and variants that work pretty well on modern operating systems, like ncat from the Nmap suite, or this alternative Netcat version from Mike Frysinger.

Termshark Reviews

We have no reviews of Termshark yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

netcat might be a bit more popular than Termshark. We know about 7 links to it since March 2021 and only 6 links to Termshark. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

netcat mentions (7)

  • could not connect to the rhel-9 from putty in windows machine
    If you don't like using telnet, that's fine. Don't use it. There are plenty of other options available. Use netcat. Or use netcat. Or use netcat. Or read and write directly to /dev/tcp/hostname/port using shell constructs. Or run openssl s_client if you suspect something complicated is listening on the other end. There is more than one way to do it and ways that are not your way still work. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • The HTTP crash course nobody asked for
    Reminder, there are many different netcats, here are some of the most commons: - netcat-traditional http://www.stearns.org/nc/ - netcat-openbsd : https://github.com/openbsd/src/blob/master/usr.bin/nc/netcat.c (also packaged in Debian) - ncat https://nmap.org/ncat/ - netcat GNU: https://netcat.sourceforge.net/ (quite rare) To prevent any confusion, I like to recommend socat: http://www.dest-unreach.org/socat/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Gaining remote access to a computer with a reverse shell attack in Node.js
    A common tool to execute a reverse shell is called netcat. If you're using macOS, it should be installed by default. You can check by running nc -help in a terminal window. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • Programm to send and receive TCP/UDP Packets
    You could try using Ncat on Windows or netcat on Linux, though it's a command-line only tool if that matters. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Is there a way to copy a file from a remote shell to local without using scp?
    If you have netcat, you can easily set up a transfer from one machine to the other:. Source: almost 4 years ago
View more

Termshark mentions (6)

  • Show HN: NetSour, CLI Based Wireshark
    I can really recommend https://termshark.io/ It looks basically exactly like the Wireshark UI, but it's a TUI. So if I need some more interactivity than tcpdump, I use termshark instead. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • termshark v2.4: a terminal UI for tshark - with packet search and profiles
    Hello fellow command-line devotees - termshark v2.4 is now available via github. Termshark is a terminal user-interface for tshark that tries to imitate the look and feel of Wireshark. The motivation is for when you're ssh-ed somewhere and want to study some network packets without the hassle of copying them back to your desktop. This release adds Wireshark-like packet search (ctrl-f to open) and profiles, like... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • termshark v2.4: a terminal UI for tshark - now featuring packet search and profiles
    Hello everyone - I made a new release of termshark: version 2.4. Termshark is my attempt at a terminal UI for tshark that shamelessly copies the look and feel of Wireshark. The motivation for termshark is for when you're ssh-ed somewhere, want to look at some packets quickly, but it's a pain to copy pcaps back to your desktop. This version adds a Wireshark-like packet-search (ctrl-f to open) and user profiles -... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • termshark v2.4: a terminal UI for tshark - now featuring packet search and profiles
    Hi everyone - I published termshark v2.4 yesterday on github. Termshark is a terminal UI for tshark that I've tried to make look similar to Wireshark. It's written completely in Go and so compiles down to a single executable for each platform. Github has pre-compiled binaries for Linux, macOS, Windows and the BSDs. The motivation for termshark is for when you have a pcap or a source of packets you want to check... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • termshark v2.3: a TUI for tshark - with configurable columns and magic wormhole!
    Hello command-line colleagues - termshark v2.3 is now up on github. Termshark is a terminal user-interface for tshark that copies the look of Wireshark in 80x32. For this release, I've added configurable columns and a way to transfer the open capture file using magic-wormhole. Termshark can be convenient but for any non-trivial analysis, you need to get the pcap open in Wireshark. If you tend to ssh from within... Source: almost 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing netcat and Termshark, you can also consider the following products

Wireshark - Wireshark is a network protocol analyzer for Unix and Windows. It lets you capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network.

tcpdump - tcpdump is a common packet analyzer that runs under the command line.

PCAPdroid - PCAPdroid is an android app to capture the phone traffic and analyze it remotely (e.g. via Wireshark). The traffic can be easily downloaded from a remote device thanks to the integrated HTTP server, or streamed to a remote UDP receiver.

Ettercap - Ettercap is a suite for man in the middle attacks on LAN.

SmartSniff - SmartSniff is a packet sniffer that capture TCP/IP packets and display them as sequence of conversations between clients and servers.

socat - socat is a relay for bidirectional data transfer between two independent data channels.