arping ☆

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Description:
Utility to check whether MAC addresses are already taken on a LAN

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 2.26@0 | Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Networking

Tags: networking diagnostics arp cli utility

Install: brew install arping

About:
Arping is a command-line utility that sends ARP and ICMP echo requests to discover hosts on a local network. It can verify if an IP address is in use by another device by checking its MAC address. This tool is invaluable for network troubleshooting and preventing IP conflicts.

Key Features:

Sends ARP requests to discover hosts on a LAN
Checks for duplicate IP addresses
Can send ICMP echo requests (ping) to non-responding hosts
Provides detailed output including MAC addresses and round-trip times

Use Cases:

Verifying if an IP address is free before static assignment
Troubleshooting network connectivity issues on a local subnet
Identifying the MAC address of a host given its IP address

Alternatives:

ping – Standard utility for ICMP echo requests, but does not perform ARP discovery.
nmap – A comprehensive network scanner that includes ARP discovery features but is much heavier.

License: GPL-2.0-or-later

Dependencies: libnet

Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 13, 2025 8:14am		0	VERSION_BUMP	f1f2c71b