macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install netwatchlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 4939
Install netwatch with Homebrew, Nix, pacman, scoop
Cross-platform realtime network diagnostics TUI. Version 0.28.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-29. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#netwatch.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#netwatchnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ne/netwatch/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S netwatchArch Linux sync databases · netwatch · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
Windows
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/netwatchScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/netwatch.json · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Cross-platform realtime network diagnostics TUI
Project links
Commands and aliases
- netwatch
history
Project history and usage
NetWatch is a young Rust terminal tool for live network diagnostics and forensics. Its upstream README positions it as a zero-config binary for seeing live network activity, mapping connections to processes, decoding protocols, and preserving incident evidence from a terminal workflow.
Project history
The public project is centered on matthart1983/netwatch and the NetWatch Labs site. GitHub showed the repository at roughly 2.2k stars, 84 forks, 282 commits, and 60 releases when researched on 2026-07-01. Homebrew listed stable version 0.25.9, matching the active cadence visible in the GitHub releases page.
Adoption history
Adoption looks like a fast-moving specialist tool rather than a long-established Unix utility. Homebrew analytics reported 275 install-on-request events over 30, 90, and 365 day windows, which suggests Homebrew adoption was concentrated in a single early window. The upstream README also exposes crates.io and release badges and mentions Terminal Trove recognition, so its early spread appears to be through Rust/terminal-tool circles and security/networking communities.
How it is used
Package users install it as a single binary and run `netwatch` for interface stats, connection views, and configuration, or `sudo netwatch` for packet capture and health probes. The README documents a TLS inspection workflow using `SSLKEYLOGFILE` for traffic the operator controls, plus tabs for dashboard, connections, interfaces, packets, stats, topology, timeline, processes, and optional insights.
The package-nerd angle is that NetWatch bundles several tasks people often split across `iftop`, `lsof`, `ss`, `tcpdump`, Wireshark, and ad hoc shell pipelines: per-process network attribution, libpcap capture, protocol decoding, TLS keylog-file decryption, JA4-oriented threat hunting, and evidence bundle export.
Why package nerds care
NetWatch is notable less as a foundational package and more as part of the 2025-2026 wave of Rust TUI observability tools: one static-ish terminal binary with polished UX, Homebrew packaging, Cargo install path, and security-oriented defaults.
Timeline
- 2026-06-27: GitHub releases page showed v0.25.9.
- 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula API reported stable 0.25.9 and 275 install-on-request events in the 365-day analytics window.
Related projects
- SysWatch and DiskWatch are listed by upstream as sibling tools with the same TUI style.
- NetWatch Cloud, netwatch-agent, netwatch-sdk, and netwatch-dashboard are related projects referenced from the upstream README.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for netwatch. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
netwatch | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
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 generated2026-08-03
manager version0.28.1
manager updated2026-07-29
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:netwatch |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.28.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://www.netwatchlabs.com/labs/netwatch |
| Repository | https://github.com/matthart1983/netwatch |
| Last updated | 2026-07-29T00:35:23Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
netwatch
nix profile install nixpkgs#netwatch- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Netwatch
pacman95%
netwatch 1.3.1_2-4
monitor network connections
http://www.slctech.org/~mackay/NETWATCH/netwatch.html
sudo pacman -S netwatch- License: GPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Netwatch
Scoop95%
main/netwatch
scoop install main/netwatch- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Netwatch
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.
Used sources
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation