Description: Nethogs is a small ‘net top’ tool that shows the bandwidth used by individual applications on a Linux-based system. Unlike other network monitoring tools that provide information at the interface level, Nethogs focuses on bandwidth usage by process, allowing users to quickly identify which applications are consuming the most network resources. This functionality is especially useful for system administrators and users who want to optimize their network performance or troubleshoot connectivity issues. Nethogs presents a simple command-line interface, where active processes and their respective bandwidth consumption can be viewed in real-time, facilitating the identification of applications that may be causing congestion or network problems. Additionally, Nethogs is lightweight and easy to install on various Linux distributions, making it an accessible tool for any user needing to effectively monitor network traffic.
History: Nethogs was created by software developer Ylian Saint-Hilaire in 2008. Since its release, it has evolved over time, incorporating improvements and bug fixes based on user community feedback. Its focus on monitoring individual processes rather than complete network interfaces has been a key factor in its popularity among system administrators and advanced users.
Uses: Nethogs is primarily used to monitor bandwidth usage by application on Linux systems. It is useful for identifying processes that excessively consume network resources, which can help administrators optimize network performance. It can also be used to diagnose connectivity issues, allowing users to see which applications are active and how they affect network traffic.
Examples: A practical example of Nethogs would be a network administrator noticing a decrease in Internet speed in an office. By running Nethogs, they can quickly identify that a video conferencing application is using most of the bandwidth, allowing them to take action to manage network traffic more effectively.
