Description:
Network grep
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Type: Formula
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Latest Version: 1.48.3@0
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Tracked Since: Nov 6, 2025
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Links:
Homepage |
formulae.brew.sh
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Category: Networking
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Tags:
networking
packet-sniffer
cli
debugging
security
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Install:
brew install ngrep
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About:
ngrep is a command-line network traffic analyzer that applies grep-like pattern matching to network packets. It can capture and filter packets in real-time using Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF) syntax or PCRE regular expressions. This makes it ideal for inspecting specific protocol payloads without the overhead of a full GUI packet analyzer.
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Key Features:
- Real-time packet capture with regex-based payload filtering
- Support for multiple protocols including TCP, UDP, ICMP, and others
- BPF and PCRE pattern matching capabilities
- Verbose mode for detailed packet inspection
- Can write captured data to pcap files for analysis in Wireshark
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Use Cases:
- Debugging application-level network protocols by searching for specific data patterns
- Security monitoring to detect suspicious network activity or known attack signatures
- Troubleshooting network services by filtering traffic between specific hosts and ports
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Alternatives:
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tcpdump
– tcpdump captures all traffic but lacks built-in regex payload filtering; ngrep adds grep-like pattern matching on top of capture
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Wireshark
– Wireshark provides a comprehensive GUI for deep packet analysis, while ngrep offers a lightweight CLI alternative for targeted pattern searches
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tshark
– tshark is the CLI version of Wireshark with full protocol decoding; ngrep is simpler and more focused on regex matching
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Version |
Rev |
Change |
Commit |
| Nov 6, 2025 10:44pm |
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0 |
VERSION_BUMP |
afa26f1d |
| Sep 16, 2025 5:21pm |
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0 |
VERSION_BUMP |
ea975219 |
| Sep 10, 2024 9:00pm |
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0 |
VERSION_BUMP |
c0c4df6b |
| Nov 26, 2022 7:28pm |
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0 |
VERSION_BUMP |
5cfe4812 |
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