Babyshark
Ranked 2 of 3 packet analyzers by recommenders
A terminal front-end for reading PCAP capture files, with guided workflows that make it easier to learn and debug quickly. Critics say the guided part feels bolted on.
A terminal front-end for reading PCAP capture files, with guided workflows that make it easier to learn and debug quickly. Critics say the guided part feels bolted on.
14 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 79%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Guided what-to-click investigation workflows
“So I appreciate the "what should I click?" thing, and offering weird flows to investigate.”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: Babyshark – Wireshark made easy (terminal UI for PCAPs)” “the opinionated workflow is the real differentiator here”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: Babyshark – Wireshark made easy (terminal UI for PCAPs)” “it hopes to be more guided”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: Babyshark – Wireshark made easy (terminal UI for PCAPs)” Easy for beginners and learners
“if you're trying to understand what's happening or teach/debug quickly, Babyshark is a nicer front-end”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: Babyshark – Wireshark made easy (terminal UI for PCAPs)” “this is a great way to get your kid interested in networking”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: Babyshark – Wireshark made easy (terminal UI for PCAPs)” “it feels right at my level”
Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: Babyshark – Wireshark made easy (terminal UI for PCAPs)” Memorable, fun name
“I'd try this out just because you found the perfect name.”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: Babyshark – Wireshark made easy (terminal UI for PCAPs)” “I both love you and hate you for choosing this name”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Show HN: Babyshark – Wireshark made easy (terminal UI for PCAPs)”
Other packet analyzers people recommend
The two most recommended other packet analyzers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 3 packet analyzers, rankedWhat people said
15 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it feels right at my level”
“Great idea, would it be possible to make it possible to add my own custom tshark one liners”
“the opinionated workflow is the real differentiator here”
“is there a reason the options are all upper case letters? It took me a minute to even consider why "w" wasn't working.”
“Love the idea, but please add some demo screenshots on GitHub.”
“this is a great way to get your kid interested in networking”
“it looks amazing and there is lots of great stuff in the initial view”
“I both love you and hate you for choosing this name”
“I'd try this out just because you found the perfect name.”
“So I appreciate the "what should I click?" thing, and offering weird flows to investigate.”
“if you're trying to understand what's happening or teach/debug quickly, Babyshark is a nicer front-end”
“seems like the guided part of this tool is bolted on as a bit of an after thought”
“it hopes to be more guided”
“right now it looks pretty bare bones”
“This might be a clone of termshark as it does the same thing for the most part.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.