RustNet is a terminal-based network monitoring application that provides detailed information about active connections and the processes responsible for them.
It combines connection monitoring with packet inspection, allowing administrators to examine network traffic without switching between several diagnostic utilities.
RustNet can associate connections with individual processes and identify application protocols by inspecting packet contents. Its terminal interface provides a continuously updated view of network activity, with filtering and navigation controls for investigating particular connections.
On Linux, RustNet uses eBPF facilities to improve process attribution. Other supported operating systems use their own native mechanisms.
The application is particularly useful for investigating unexpected connections, determining which programs communicate with remote systems and examining protocol behaviour.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Monitors active TCP, UDP and QUIC network connections.
- Associates connections with processes, executable names and process identifiers.
- Displays connection states and protocol-specific activity.
- Deep packet inspection for HTTP, TLS, DNS, SSH, QUIC, MQTT and other protocols.
- Extracts available server name information from TLS connections.
- Supports interactive filtering by address, port, process, protocol and connection state.
- Provides service-name resolution for well-known ports.
- Can export packet captures in PCAPNG format with associated process and connection metadata.
- Uses eBPF-based process attribution on supported Linux systems.
- Offers connection lifecycle tracking with visual indicators for inactive connections.
- Provides configurable logging and traffic inspection options.
- Includes platform-specific security controls and sandboxing facilities.
- Supports packet capture on selected network interfaces.
- Cross-platform support – runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Website: github.com/domcyrus/rustnet
Support:
Developer: Marco Cadetg and contributors
License: Apache License 2.0
RustNet is written in Rust. Learn Rust with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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