---
name: "iptraf-ng"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "iptraf-ng"
version: "1.2.2-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/iptraf-ng"
---

# iptraf-ng(8)

Interactive Colorful IP LAN Monitor

## NAME

iptraf - Interactive Colorful IP LAN Monitor

## SYNOPSIS

**iptraf-ng** { \[ **-f** \] \[ { **-i** *iface* \|  **-g** \| **-d** *iface* \|  **-s** *iface* \|  **-z** *iface* \|  **-l** *iface* } \[  **-t** *timeout* \] \[  **-B** \[  **-L** *logfile* \] \] \] \| \[  **-h** \] }\

## DESCRIPTION

**iptraf-ng** is an ncurses-based IP LAN monitor that generates various network statistics including TCP info, UDP counts, ICMP and OSPF information, Ethernet load info, node stats, IP checksum errors, and others.

If the  **iptraf-ng** command is issued without any command-line options, the program comes up in interactive mode, with the various facilities accessed through the main menu.

## OPTIONS

These options can also be supplied to the command:

- **-i** *iface*

  immediately start the IP traffic monitor on the specified interface, or all interfaces if "-i all" is specified

- **-g**

  immediately start the general interface statistics

- **-d** *iface*

  allows you to immediately start the detailed on the indicated interface (iface)

- **-s** *iface*

  allows you to immediately monitor TCP and UDP traffic on the specified interface (iface)

- **-z** *iface*

  shows packet counts by size on the specified interface

- **-l** *iface*

  start the LAN station monitor on the specified interface, or all LAN interfaces if "-l all" is specified

- **-t** *timeout*

  tells IPTraf-ng to run the specified facility for only *timeout* minutes.  This option is used only with one of the above parameters.

- **-B**

  redirect standard output to /dev/null, closes standard input, and forks the program into the background.  Can be used only with one of the facility invocation parameters above.  Send the backgrounded process a USR2 signal to terminate.

- **-L logfile**

  allows you to specify an alternate log file name.  The default log file name is based on either the interface selected (detailed interface statistics, TCP/UDP service statistics, packet size breakdown), or the instance of the facility (IP traffic monitor, LAN station monitor).  If a path is not specified, the log file is placed in **/var/log/iptraf-ng**

- **-f**

  clears all locks and counters, causing this instance of IPTraf-ng to think it's the first one running.  This should only be used to recover from an abnormal termination or system crash.

- **-h**

  shows a command summary

## SIGNALS

 SIGUSR1 - rotates log files while program is running\
  SIGUSR2 - terminates an IPTraf-ng process running in the background.

## FILES

 /var/log/iptraf-ng/\*.log - log file\
  /var/lib/iptraf-ng/\* - important IPTraf-ng data files

## SEE ALSO

 Documentation/\* - complete documentation written by the author

## AUTHOR

Gerard Paul Java (riker@mozcom.com)

## MANUAL AUTHOR

Frederic Peters (fpeters@debian.org), using iptraf-ng -h General manual page modifications by Gerard Paul Java (riker@mozcom.com), Phil Cameron (pcameron@redhat.com)