iftop: The fundamental network monitor

With my living arrangements very scattered but somewhat stable, I have a little time to delve back into the world of console apps.

Today and tomorrow I’ll have to rehash a couple of titles from a long time ago though: iftop and iotop.

I’ve had iftop on my machines for the better part of a decade now, and while it’s not always the best network traffic monitor, it is very reliable.

Being the visual person that I am, I think I enjoy iftop because it is at once both graphical and text-based.

Stats show you hard data, while the dancing progress bars skitter back and forth, showing activity levels from moment to moment.

If only it had color, it would be perfect. 😉