Linux netstat Command Tutorial for Beginners (8 Examples)
If you are new to Linux command line, and are interested in learning networking stuff, there are many command line utilities that you should be aware of. One such tool is netstat. In this article, we will discuss this command using some easy to understand examples.
But before we do that, it’s worth mentioning that all these examples have been tested on an Ubuntu 16.04 LTS machine.
Linux netstat command
The netstat command lets you print network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, masquerade connections, and multicast memberships. Following is its syntax:
netstat [OPTIONS]
Here’s how the man page explains it:
Netstat prints information about the Linux networking subsystem. The
type of information printed is controlled by the first argument, as
follows:(none)
By default, netstat displays a list of open sockets. If you don't
specify any address families, then the active sockets of all configured
address families will be printed.--route , -r
Display the kernel routing tables. See the description in route(8) for
details. netstat -r and route -e produce the same output.--groups , -g
Display multicast group membership information for IPv4 and IPv6.--interfaces, -i
Display a table of all network interfaces.--masquerade , -M
Display a list of masqueraded connections.--statistics , -s
Display summary statistics for each protocol.
Following are some Q&A-styled examples that should give you a good idea on how the netstat command works.
Q1. How to use netstat command?
Basic usage is fairly simple – just run the netstat command without any options.
netstat
For example, in my case, the following output was produced:
Active Internet connections (w/o servers)
Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:59510 mails11.telegram.:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:57318 13.70.5.200:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 1 192.168.1.7:51238 52.114.32.7:https SYN_SENT
tcp 390 0 192.168.1.7:60392 del03s09-in-f10.1:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 1 192.168.1.7:51240 52.114.32.7:https SYN_SENT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:50196 del03s10-in-f10.1:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:41996 maa05s05-in-f4.1e:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:56680 wa-in-f94.1e100.n:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:54578 del03s10-in-f14.1:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:51310 del03s10-in-f2.1e:https TIME_WAIT
So by default, the command displays a list of all open sockets.
Q2. How to make netstat show numerical addresses?
By default, the netstat command tries to determine symbolic host, port, or user names. This may slow down the tool. However, if you’re fine with numerical values, you can make the tool output numeric values using the -n command line option.
netstat -n
For example in my case, the following output was produced:
Active Internet connections (w/o servers)
Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:59510 149.154.171.22:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:57318 13.70.5.200:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:51682 52.114.32.7:443 TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:54884 172.217.161.14:443 TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:35112 172.217.161.5:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.2.97:45662 148.251.237.53:21 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:50892 149.154.164.224:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:58772 172.217.194.189:443 TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 1 192.168.1.7:47728 144.76.158.93:443 SYN_SENT
tcp 0 1 192.168.1.7:47730 144.76.158.93:443 SYN_SENT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:59548 149.154.171.22:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:35818 169.55.74.50:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:50888 149.154.164.224:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:44156 152.195.11.6:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:58478 52.229.174.94:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 52 0 127.0.0.1:60342 127.0.1.1:139 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:58820 172.217.161.3:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:45588 52.175.17.224:443 TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:50890 149.154.164.224:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:58192 52.77.195.144:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:54224 172.217.31.2:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 127.0.1.1:139 127.0.0.1:60342 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:34500 192.241.190.153:443 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:54888 172.217.161.14:443 ESTABLISHED
So you can see only numeric values were produced in output (in Foreign Adress column) this time.
Q3. How to make netstat display only tcp connections?
This you can do using the -t command line option.
netstat -t
For example, in my case, the following output was produced:
Active Internet connections (w/o servers)
Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:44236 152.195.11.6:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:59510 mails11.telegram.:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:57318 13.70.5.200:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:42706 maa05s05-in-f4.1e:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:51984 del03s10-in-f2.1e:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:51786 52.114.32.7:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:52294 xx-fbcdn-shv-01-m:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:54372 del03s01-in-f2.1e:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 1 192.168.1.7:47788 hyperserver.semse:https SYN_SENT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:52298 xx-fbcdn-shv-01-m:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:51840 149.154.164.224:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:35258 del03s10-in-f1.1e:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.2.97:45662 blog.gsmarena.com:ftp ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:50728 del03s10-in-f10.1:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:56468 del03s09-in-f3.1e:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:50892 149.154.164.224:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:45670 52.175.17.224:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:55180 del03s10-in-f14.1:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 1 192.168.1.7:47790 hyperserver.semse:https SYN_SENT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:59548 mails11.telegram.:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:35818 32.4a.37a9.ip4.st:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:50888 149.154.164.224:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:33360 del03s10-in-f13.1:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:52332 207.46.140.70:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:58478 52.229.174.94:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:54374 del03s01-in-f2.1e:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:50216 104.24.1.68:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 52 0 localhost:60342 ansh:netbios-ssn ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:50890 149.154.164.224:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:55200 del03s10-in-f14.1:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:54224 del03s01-in-f2.1e:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 ansh:netbios-ssn localhost:60342 ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:55212 del03s10-in-f14.1:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 1 192.168.1.7:47800 hyperserver.semse:https SYN_SENT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:45668 52.175.17.224:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:58878 del03s10-in-f3.1e:https TIME_WAIT
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:34500 do-11.lastpass.co:https ESTABLISHED
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:41844 a23-35-40-198.dep:https ESTABLISHED
Q4. How to make netstat display only udp connections
This you can do using the -u command line option.
netstat -u
Q5. How to make netstat show only listening sockets?
This is possible by using the -l command line option.
netstat -l
For example, the following output was produced in my case:
Active Internet connections (only servers)
Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State
tcp 0 0 ansh:domain *:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 localhost:ipp *:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 *:microsoft-ds *:* LISTEN
tcp 0 0 *:netbios-ssn *:* LISTEN
tcp6 0 0 ip6-localhost:ipp [::]:* LISTEN
tcp6 0 0 [::]:microsoft-ds [::]:* LISTEN
tcp6 0 0 [::]:netbios-ssn [::]:* LISTEN
...
...
...
Q6. How to make netstat show name and PID of programs?
In case you want netstat to show name of process IDs of processes to which each socket belongs, use the -p command line option.
netstat -p
For example:
Active Internet connections (w/o servers)
Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State PID/Program name
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:57318 13.70.5.200:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:36732 13.76.170.95:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:52050 149.154.164.224:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:55974 del03s10-in-f14.1:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:52074 149.154.164.224:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:60590 mails11.telegram.:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:52254 149.154.164.224:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.2.97:45662 blog.gsmarena.com:ftp ESTABLISHED 3160/filezilla
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:35818 32.4a.37a9.ip4.st:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:52528 52.114.32.7:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:55950 del03s10-in-f14.1:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 68 0 localhost:60342 ansh:netbios-ssn ESTABLISHED 2625/gvfsd-smb-brow
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:44974 152.195.11.6:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:36730 13.76.170.95:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 ansh:netbios-ssn localhost:60342 ESTABLISHED -
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:52732 del03s10-in-f2.1e:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:60314 52.229.174.94:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:53072 207.46.140.70:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
tcp 0 0 192.168.1.7:34500 do-11.lastpass.co:https ESTABLISHED 3247/firefox
See the last column for PID/program name info.
Q7. How to make netstat print network statistics?
This can be done using the -s command line option.
netstat -s
In this case, the tool produces information like total packets received, discarded, delivered, and much more. Following is an example output when the -s command line option was used.
Ip:
592215 total packets received
41 with invalid addresses
0 forwarded
0 incoming packets discarded
580699 incoming packets delivered
539118 requests sent out
627 outgoing packets dropped
482 dropped because of missing route
2 fragments failed
Icmp:
2337 ICMP messages received
6 input ICMP message failed.
ICMP input histogram:
destination unreachable: 2337
3917 ICMP messages sent
0 ICMP messages failed
ICMP output histogram:
destination unreachable: 3917
IcmpMsg:
InType3: 2337
OutType3: 3917
Tcp:
10943 active connections openings
127 passive connection openings
38 failed connection attempts
467 connection resets received
34 connections established
443643 segments received
414589 segments send out
6929 segments retransmited
428 bad segments received.
11713 resets sent...
...
...
Q8. How to make netstat display kernel routing table?
This can be done using the -r command line option.
netstat -r
Following is the output produced in my case:
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags MSS Window irtt Iface
default 192.168.1.1 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 wlx18a6f713679b
link-local * 255.255.0.0 U 0 0 0 wlx18a6f713679b
192.168.1.0 * 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 wlx18a6f713679b
Note that netstat -r and route -e produce the same output.
Conclusion
So as you would have understood by now, the netstat command is a very important tool. It provides a lot of features – we’ve just scratched the surface here. Once you are done practicing what all we’ve discussed in this tutorial, head to the tool’s man page for more info.
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