install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install tcping

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install tcping

MacPorts ports tree · net/tcping/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install tcping

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · tcping · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Chocolateyverified · 92%

choco install tcping

Chocolatey community package catalog · tcping · source: community.chocolatey.org

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/tcping

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/tcping.json · source: api.github.com

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id EliFulkerson.tcping -e

Windows Package Manager source index · EliFulkerson.tcping · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

TCP connect to the given IP/port combo

Project links

Commands and aliases

tcping

history

Project history and usage

tcping is a small command-line utility that checks whether a host:port pair is reachable by attempting a TCP connection instead of sending ICMP echo packets.

Project history

The upstream manual page says tcping came to be in 2002 as a basic TCP connection checker and as a way to fail fast before running network commands with long timeouts on Solaris, AIX, and Linux.

The GitHub repository for Marc Kirchner's tcping was created in 2016. The manual notes that IPv6 support was added for version 2.0.0 in 2023, while AIX and Solaris support was dropped.

Adoption history

tcping's adoption is modest but package-manager-friendly: it is a single-purpose diagnostic CLI, available through Homebrew and several other package ecosystems in the input facts, for cases where ICMP ping is blocked or irrelevant.

How it is used

Users run tcping with a host and port, optionally selecting IPv4 or IPv6 and setting second or microsecond timeouts. Exit codes distinguish success, failure, timeout, and error, making it useful in scripts.

Why package nerds care

Package nerds care because tcping is the minimal network probe people reach for when netcat is too general and ping tests the wrong protocol. Its behavior is small enough to document in a manpage and stable enough to script.

Timeline

2002: tcping created for basic TCP connection checks and fast failure before long-timeout commands.
2016: mkirchner/tcping GitHub repository created.
2023: Version 2.0.0 added IPv6 support and dropped AIX and Solaris support.

Related projects

ping, nc/netcat, fping, and hping are related network reachability tools; tcping focuses specifically on TCP connect checks.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 12 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`tcping`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-08-04

manager version2.1.0

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detected2.1.0

https://github.com/mkirchner/tcping

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:tcping
Version	2.1.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/tcping
Homepage	https://github.com/mkirchner/tcping
Repository	https://github.com/mkirchner/tcping
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/mkirchner/tcping/archive/refs/tags/2.1.0.tar.gz
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	tcping
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

zypper95%

tcping 2.8.0-1.4

A ping program for TCP ports

https://github.com/pouriyajamshidi/tcping

sudo zypper install tcping

License: MIT
Category: Productivity/Networking/Diagnostic
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: tcping
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Tcping

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: tcping from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst

MacPorts95%

tcping

sudo port install tcping

normalized package name match
Matched by: Tcping

MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: net/tcping/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

Chocolatey95%

tcping

choco install tcping

normalized package name match
Matched by: Tcping

Chocolatey community package catalog · community.chocolatey.org · Chocolatey community package catalog: tcping from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','synologydrive'

Scoop95%

main/tcping

scoop install main/tcping

normalized package name match
Matched by: Tcping

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/tcping.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

winget95%

EliFulkerson.tcping

winget install --id EliFulkerson.tcping -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Tcping

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: EliFulkerson.tcping from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

winget95%

pj.tcping

winget install --id pj.tcping -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Tcping

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: pj.tcping from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/tcping.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment
pkg.so package database
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install tcping with Homebrew, chocolatey, MacPorts, zypper, scoop, winget