Monitoring Network Activity
Network Speedometer
© Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
With bandwhich, you can quickly see the current network load on your computer.
If you're looking for way to monitor network activity, the bandwhich command-line utility can provide you with a clear-cut overview of the traffic on a local or remote computer. It shows you the current network access, the network load caused by this access, and the associated processes.
To use bandwhich, you will need administrative rights; you will also need an SSH connection in a terminal window if you plan to launch the utility on a remote computer. On bandwhich's GitHub page [1], you can download a 64-bit binary for Linux, Android, macOS, or Windows, as well as the source code. For this article, I used version 0.23.1. Further development is currently on hold while the developers fix bugs and security issues [2].
Getting Started
If you call up bandwhich without any options, you'll see the screen in Figure 1. The program does not win any awards for frugal use of screen space. To see all the output columns, you may need to set a smaller font for the terminal and toggle the terminal window to full-screen mode. The output includes information about the network devices involved and the total volume of incoming and outgoing data. For the sake of clarity, bandwhich does not display DNS queries.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Mozilla Plans to AI-ify Firefox
With a new CEO in control, Mozilla is doubling down on a strategy of trust, all the while leaning into AI.
-
Gnome Says No to AI-Generated Extensions
If you're a developer wanting to create a new Gnome extension, you'd best set aside that AI code generator, because the extension team will have none of that.
-
Parrot OS Switches to KDE Plasma Desktop
Yet another distro is making the move to the KDE Plasma desktop.
-
TUXEDO Announces Gemini 17
TUXEDO Computers has released the fourth generation of its Gemini laptop with plenty of updates.
-
Two New Distros Adopt Enlightenment
MX Moksha and AV Linux 25 join ranks with Bodhi Linux and embrace the Enlightenment desktop.
-
Solus Linux 4.8 Removes Python 2
Solus Linux 4.8 has been released with the latest Linux kernel, updated desktops, and a key removal.
-
Zorin OS 18 Hits over a Million Downloads
If you doubt Linux isn't gaining popularity, you only have to look at Zorin OS's download numbers.
-
TUXEDO Computers Scraps Snapdragon X1E-Based Laptop
Due to issues with a Snapdragon CPU, TUXEDO Computers has cancelled its plans to release a laptop based on this elite hardware.
-
Debian Unleashes Debian Libre Live
Debian Libre Live keeps your machine free of proprietary software.
-
Valve Announces Pending Release of Steam Machine
Shout it to the heavens: Steam Machine, powered by Linux, is set to arrive in 2026.