Socat – Netcat on steroids
Switchboard
Netcat is the Swiss Army knife of networking for admins. Socat takes this principle one step further, offering multiplexing, TLS-secured channels, pipes, Unix sockets, and executables.
Netcat is undoubtedly a useful tool for testing TCP connections or UDP ports, transferring files, and far more [1]. Socat [2] offers even more: Besides raw TCP and UDP connections, it supports channels secured by TLS and can access pipes, Unix sockets, and executables. As if that were not enough, it can also multiplex multiple client connections.
Just like Netcat, Socat expects two position parameters to establish a connection between two network addresses: socat <address1> <address2>. It can make sense to transfer files via raw TCP connections, for example, if you need to work as a different user on the target system than on the source. On many of the systems I support, sudo I/O logging is enabled.
This means that for SCP or SFTP transfers with a user change (Listing 1), the complete transfer is added to the sudo logs via stdin and stdout. This can mean several gigabytes of data need to be stored in the /var/log/sudo/ directory. If you don't want to do without additional security via public key authentication and deactivated root accounts, you have to come up with something smart for transfers of this type. This is where Netcat and Socat come into play.
[...]
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
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.
-
Happy Birthday, Linux
On August 25, Linux officially turns 34.
-
VirtualBox 7.2 Has Arrived
With early support for Linux kernel 6.17 and other new additions, VirtualBox 7.2 is a must-update for users.
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.