Differences between netstat and ss in Linux Networking

Discover the dissimilarities between netstat and ss, two Linux network tools, and learn which one is best suited for your network analysis needs.

When it comes to network analysis in Linux, two commonly used tools are netstat and ss. While they both serve a similar purpose, there are significant differences that set them apart.

Netstat, the traditional network diagnosis tool, offers a wide range of information about network connections, routing tables, and statistics. It provides details on active network connections, open ports, routing information, and interfaces. With numerous filtering and display options, netstat supports TCP and UDP connections.

On the other hand, ss (Socket Statistics) is a modern alternative found in the iproute2 package. It aims to deliver improved performance and efficiency compared to netstat. SS provides detailed socket, network connection, routing table, and multicast group information. It excels at quick retrieval of specific details and supports complex filtering for in-depth analysis.

SS offers benefits such as faster execution, scalability for larger networks, and the ability to apply advanced network features like TCP timestamps and SACK. It has gained popularity among system administrators and network specialists due to its enhanced functionality.

In summary, while netstat remains a reliable tool, ss offers a more efficient and powerful solution for network analysis on Linux systems. Depending on your requirements, choosing the right tool can greatly enhance your networking insights and troubleshooting capabilities.

Some Examples

  1. Displaying all TCP connections:

    ss -t

    This command shows all active TCP connections on the system, including source and destination addresses, states, used ports, and timer information.

  2. Displaying detailed information for a specific port number:

    ss -tlnp sport = :80

    This command allows you to view detailed information about all TCP connections that have port 80 as their destination port. It also displays the associated process information (-p).

  3. Displaying IPv6 multicast groups:

    ss -lm6

    This command lists all IPv6 multicast groups that the system has joined. It shows the group address, source address, network interface, and the specified membership interval time.

NetstatssLinuxNetworkAnalysisTCPUDP
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2023-06-24  
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