Hacker ApprovedDepartments

tcpdump

Ranked 3 of 3 packet analyzers by recommenders

People recommend tcpdump for capturing and inspecting network traffic and debugging network problems on any device. No recurring caveats were raised.

People recommend tcpdump for capturing and inspecting network traffic and debugging network problems on any device. No recurring caveats were raised.

6 people gave an opinion

recommend it
6
criticize it
0
approval share
100%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 6 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: not recommended
  2. December 2025: recommended
  3. January 2026: recommended
  4. February 2026: recommended
  5. March 2026: recommended
  6. April 2026: recommended
  7. May 2026: not recommended
  8. June 2026: not recommended
  9. July 2026: not recommended
  10. August 2026: not recommended
  11. September 2026: recommended
  12. October 2026: not recommended
  13. November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)

Why it doesn’t carry the badge

  • 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
  • Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
  • Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, 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

  • Inspects network traffic on any device

    “This makes it really easy to monitor the traffic of any device”

    Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “MuMu Player (NetEase) silently runs 17 reconnaissance commands every 30 minutes”

    “great for debugging and traffic inspection”

    Comment from 29 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: Cerberus – Real-time network monitor with eBPF”

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.

tcpdump compared with 2 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
Wireshark211068%11—Approved
Babyshark11379%1——
tcpdumpThis page60100%6——
See all 3 packet analyzers, ranked

What people said

5 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“Always specify a packet limit count in the event one forgets to cancel the dump.”

RecommendsComment from 3 Apr 2026 in “Tcpdump Is the Network Debugging Tool You Should Have Learned Years Ago”

“tcpdump could be a good alternative”

RecommendsComment from 14 Mar 2026 in “NMAP in the Movies”

“This makes it really easy to monitor the traffic of any device”

RecommendsComment from 21 Feb 2026 in “MuMu Player (NetEase) silently runs 17 reconnaissance commands every 30 minutes”

“Yes, I clearly know what tcpdump is / how to capture network traffic”

MixedComment from 23 Jan 2026 in “Why does SSH send 100 packets per keystroke?”

“great for debugging and traffic inspection”

RecommendsComment from 29 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: Cerberus – Real-time network monitor with eBPF”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.