Nmap is a free and open source utility for network discovery, administration and security auditing.
It supports ping scanning (determine which hosts are up), many portscanning techniques, version detection (determine service protocols and application versions listening behind ports), and TCP/IP fingerprinting (remote host OS or device identification).
Nmap also offers flexible target and port specification, decoy/stealth scanning, sunRPC scanning, and more.
Key Features
- Host Discovery – Identifying hosts on a network, for example listing the hosts which respond to pings, or which have a particular port open.
- Port Scanning – Enumerating the open ports on one or more target hosts. It is a powerful port scanner.
- Version Detection – Interrogating listening network services listening on remote devices to determine the application name and version number.
- OS Detection – Remotely determining the operating system and some hardware characteristics of network devices.
- Scriptable interaction with the target – using Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) and Lua programming language, customized queries can be made.
- Gopher protocol support.
- Smart traceroute.
Website: nmap.org
Support: Documentation
Developer: Gordon Lyon
License: GNU General Public License v2.0
Nmap is written in C++ and Lua. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials. Learn Lua with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Terminal-Based Port Scanners | |
|---|---|
| Nmap | Network Mapper for network discovery, administration and security auditing |
| RustScan | Modern take on the port scanner |
| MASSCAN | Mass IP port scanner |
| ZMap | Fast single packet network scanner |
| naabu | Fast port scanner written with a focus on reliability and simplicity |
| Netcat | Built-in port-scanning capabilities, with randomizer |
| unimap | Scan only once by IP address |
| havn | Fast configurable port scanner |
| Nibble | Local network scanning tool |
| turbo-scanner | Port scanner and service detection tool |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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