macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install traceboxlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 8636
Install tracebox with Homebrew, Nix
Middlebox detection tool. Version 0.4.4 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-25. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#tracebox.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#traceboxnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/tr/tracebox/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Middlebox detection tool
Project links
Commands and aliases
- luatracebox
- tracebox
history
Project history and usage
Tracebox is a network-diagnostics CLI for detecting middleboxes on an Internet path. Its README describes it as traceroute-like, but focused on identifying packet modifications by comparing probes with ICMP replies.
Project history
Tracebox comes from the research and measurement side of networking. The project page explains that it detects middleboxes by using ICMP replies to identify changes in packets, relying on the common behavior of devices that return more of the original datagram than the minimum described by RFC 792.
The GitHub repository was created in 2013, with public release metadata from v0.3 in May 2015 through v0.4.4 in January 2018. The source tree includes C and C++ implementation code, Lua support, manual pages, and documentation.
Adoption history
Tracebox's own README documents Homebrew installation for macOS, Linux builds from autotools dependencies, an OpenWRT package feed, and an Android build script for rooted phones. The OpenWRT section is explicitly marked unmaintained, which fits a project that was useful to network researchers and operators but did not become a constantly refreshed mainstream CLI.
How it is used
Users run `tracebox` or `luatracebox` to probe a path and inspect hop-by-hop packet modifications. The README documents JSON output via `-j`, verbose modification details, hop data, ICMP extensions, additions, deletions, and modifications, making it scriptable for measurement workflows.
Why package nerds care
In package-manager culture, Tracebox is a classic specialist network tool: packaged in Homebrew and Nix, rooted in Unix build conventions, and interesting because it extends the familiar traceroute mental model into middlebox detection and JSON-producing measurement.
Timeline
- 2013-06: GitHub repository created.
- 2015-05: Tracebox v0.3 released.
- 2017-10: Tracebox v0.4.2 released.
- 2018-01: Tracebox v0.4.4 released.
Related projects
- traceroute, ICMP, Lua, OpenWRT, Android builds, libpcap, netfilter queue.
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
luatracebox | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
tracebox | 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 version0.4.4
manager updated2026-06-25
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:tracebox |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.4.4 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/tracebox/tracebox |
| Repository | https://github.com/tracebox/tracebox |
| Last updated | 2026-06-25T13:38:09+02:00 |
| 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%
tracebox
nix profile install nixpkgs#tracebox- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Tracebox
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
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation