Ncat – Modern Netcat with Extra Features

Ncat is a feature-packed networking utility from the Nmap project, designed as a much-improved reimplementation of the venerable netcat. It supports SSL encryption, IPv6, connection brokering, and other advanced features not found in traditional netcat implementations. Ncat combines reliability with flexibility for network debugging, data transfer, and security testing.

Key Features

• SSL/TLS Support – Encrypted connections out of the box
• IPv6 Support – Full dual-stack networking
• Connection Brokering – Connect multiple clients together
• Access Control – Allow/deny connections by IP
• Proxy Support – SOCKS4 and HTTP proxy connections
• Chat Mode – Multi-client communication server

Installation

# Installed with Nmap
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install ncat

# RHEL/CentOS/Fedora
sudo dnf install nmap-ncat

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S nmap

Common Usage Examples

# Connect to a port
ncat host 80

# Listen on a port
ncat -l 8080

# SSL encrypted connection
ncat --ssl host 443

# Create SSL listener with certificate
ncat -l --ssl --ssl-cert cert.pem --ssl-key key.pem 443

# File transfer (receiver)
ncat -l 9999 > file.txt

# File transfer (sender)
ncat host 9999 < file.txt

# Chat server
ncat -l --chat 8080

# Execute command on connection
ncat -l -e /bin/bash 4444

# Connection through proxy
ncat --proxy proxy:8080 --proxy-type http host 80

Use Cases

Ncat is essential for secure data transfer, penetration testing, network debugging, creating encrypted tunnels, and any scenario requiring netcat with modern security features.

Download Ncat