iftop – Real-Time Bandwidth Monitor

iftop displays bandwidth usage on a network interface in real-time, showing current connections and their...

Networking Tools Linux Open Source

iftop displays bandwidth usage on a network interface in real-time, showing current connections and their transfer rates. Similar to top for CPU, iftop provides a dynamic view of network traffic, making it invaluable for identifying bandwidth-hungry connections and monitoring network activity.

📑 Table of Contents

Key Features

  • Real-Time Display – Live bandwidth usage per connection
  • Traffic Direction – Shows incoming and outgoing separately
  • Peak Detection – Displays 2s, 10s, and 40s averages
  • DNS Resolution – Resolves IP addresses to hostnames

Installation

sudo apt install iftop    # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install iftop    # Fedora/RHEL

Basic Usage

# Monitor default interface
sudo iftop

# Monitor specific interface
sudo iftop -i eth0

# Don't resolve hostnames
sudo iftop -n

# Display port numbers
sudo iftop -P

# Filter specific traffic
sudo iftop -f "port 80"

Download iftop

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