Networking Commands
1. ip a
It shows detailed information about all network interfaces and
assigned IP address
$ ip a
2. Ping
It is used to test network connectivity between two devices by
sending ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) Echo Request
packets.
$ ping 10.184.40.163
3. ifconfig
Shows and configures the network interfaces on the current
system.
$ ifconfig wlo1
Displays information about the wlo1 interface.
4. ifquery
Checks the current setup and settings of network
interfaces.
$ ifquery --list
Lists all network interfaces and their settings.
5. nmcli
Reports the network status, manages and configures the
network connections and controls the NetworkManager tool.
$ nmcli dev wifi list
Lists available WiFi networks.
6. arp
Maps IP addresses to MAC addresses on a local network and
manages the ARP cache.
$ arp
Shows the current ARP cache entries.
7. arp -a
Prints the ARP table entries.
$ arp -a
8. netstat
Shows active network connections, routing information, and
other network statistics.
$ netstat -antp
Lists all active network connections and the processes using
them.
9. trace route
It is used to trace the path that packets take from your computer
to a destination (like a website or server).
It helps in network troubleshooting by showing the hops
(routers) between the source and destination.
If don’t have traceroute .just install it by using this command
$ sudo apt install traceroute
$ traceroute 10.184.49.18
Traces the route taken to reach www.google.com
$ traceroute www.google.com
10. telnet
This command is used to establish a remote connection to
another computer or server over the Telnet protocol.
It allows users to communicate with remote machines via a
command-line interface.
If don’t have telnet .just install it by using this command
$ sudo apt install telnet
$ telnet [hostname or IP] [port]
$ telnet 10.184.49.18 22
Connects to the SSH server on 10.184.49.18 via Telnet.
11. iperf
iperf is a command-line tool used to test network bandwidth,
speed, and performance between two systems. It helps measure
network throughput, latency, and packet loss in a controlled
manner.
If don’t have iperf .just install it by using this command
$ sudo apt install iperf
$ iperf -s -- This makes the system listen for incoming network
speed tests.
$ iperf -c 192.168.1.28 -- This will initiate a bandwidth test
from the client to the server.
12. w
This will Shows the information about users currently logged into
the system.
$w
13. ss
The ss -ntulp command is used to display detailed information
about network connections and listening ports on a Linux
system.
It is a powerful alternative to netstat.
$ ss -ntulp
14. Nslookup
The nslookup command is used to query DNS (Domain Name
System) records and find IP addresses or domain information.
It helps in troubleshooting DNS-related issues.
$ nslookup google.com
15. host
The host command is used to perform DNS lookups in Linux. It
helps in querying IP addresses, domain names, mail servers (MX
records), and other DNS records.
$ host google.com
16. dig
The dig (Domain Information Groper) command is used for
querying DNS records in Linux. It is more detailed and flexible
than nslookup or host, making it a preferred tool for DNS
troubleshooting.
$ dig google.com
17. whois
Retrieves information about domain ownership from various
WHOIS servers.
$ whois google.com
18. CPU info
To check CPU Information
$ cat /proc/cpuinfo
19. Memory info
To Check Memory Information
$ cat /proc/meminfo
20. speedtest
Runs a speed test to measure download/upload speeds
$speedtest-cli
21. tarcepath
The command identifies paths and latencies from source to
destination, mapping the router and network hops.
$ tracepath 192.168.1.28
Run the tracepath command without any options to perform a
simple trace from destination to host:
22. wget
The wget command downloads files from the web using HTTP,
HTTPS, or FTP protocols. The tool is simple to use for file
downloads.
wget [options] [URL]
$ wget https://example.com/file.zip
23. mtr
The mtr command (my traceroute) is a diagnostics tool that
combines elements from the ping and traceroute
commands. The command sends real-time insights into
network quality, making it an excellent tool for
troubleshooting high latency and packet loss.
$ mtr google.com
24. top
The top command is a network monitoring utility. Use the
command to view network connections and bandwidth usage in
real time.
$ top
25. tcpdump
The tcpdump command is a packet sniffer and network security
tool that captures real-time network packet information. Use
the command to analyze traffic, troubleshoot issues, and
monitor network security.
$ sudo tcpdump port 80
26. iptables
The iptables -L command is used to list all active firewall rules in
a Linux system. iptables is a firewall utility that manages packet
filtering, NAT (Network Address Translation), and security rules.
$ sudo iptables -L
27. Ssh
The ssh [email protected] command is used to securely
connect to a remote system via SSH (Secure Shell). It allows you
to log into a remote server and execute commands as if you were
physically present.
$ ssh [email protected]
28. scp
The scp (Secure Copy) command is used to copy files securely
between a local and a remote system using SSH (Secure Shell)
encryption.
scp <source_file>
<user>@<remote_host>:<destination_path>
29. Linux Bridge
A Linux bridge acts like a virtual network switch that can
connect multiple network interfaces and allow
communication between them. It is commonly used in
virtualization and networking setups.
Step 1: Install Bridge Utilities
The bridge-utils package is required to manage Linux
bridges.
# apt install bridge-utils
Step 2: Create a New Bridge
Synx : brctl addbr <bridge -name>
# brctl addbr br0
Step 3: Add Network Interfaces to the Bridge
Create new Interface
# ip link set enp2s0 up
# brctl addif br0 enp2s0
To show the bridge details
# brctl show
Spanning Tree Protocol configuration
# brctl stp <bridge> {on|off}
# brctl stp br0 on
Add the entries below into /etc/network/interface
file.
iface eth0 inet manual
iface eth1 inet manual
# Bridge setup
iface br0 inet static
bridge_ports eth0 eth1
address 10.0.0.2
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 10.0.0.1
