How to use the command nload (with examples)
The command nload is a tool for visualizing network usage in the terminal. It provides real-time statistics about the network traffic passing through the system.
Use case 1: View all network traffic
Code:
nload
Motivation:
By using the command “nload” without any additional arguments, you can view a real-time visualization of all the network traffic on your system. This can be useful for monitoring network usage and identifying any unexpected spikes or abnormal behavior.
Explanation:
- No arguments: When no arguments are provided, nload will display the network traffic statistics for all the available network interfaces in the system.
Example output:
Device eth0 (10/100 Mbps)
======================================================================
Incoming: 1.09 Mbps
Outgoing: 0.29 Mbps
Total: 1.39 Mbps
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Device wlan0 (Wi-Fi)
======================================================================
Incoming: 0.72 Mbps
Outgoing: 0.19 Mbps
Total: 0.91 Mbps
In the example output, nload provides a breakdown of network usage for each available network interface. It shows the incoming and outgoing traffic speed in Mbps (megabits per second) as well as the total traffic.
Use case 2: View network traffic on specific interfaces
Code:
nload device eth0 eth1
Motivation:
In some cases, you might be interested in monitoring the network traffic on specific interfaces rather than all interfaces. By specifying the desired interfaces as arguments, you can limit the output to only the selected interfaces.
Explanation:
- device: This argument is used to specify the network interfaces you want to monitor. You can provide one or more interface names as separate arguments.
Example output:
Device eth0 (10/100 Mbps)
======================================================================
Incoming: 1.09 Mbps
Outgoing: 0.29 Mbps
Total: 1.39 Mbps
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Device eth1 (1 Gbps)
======================================================================
Incoming: 0.55 Mbps
Outgoing: 0.14 Mbps
Total: 0.69 Mbps
The example shows the network traffic statistics for eth0 and eth1 interfaces only. By specifying the desired interfaces, you can focus on monitoring specific network traffic and ignore the rest.
Conclusion:
The nload command is a powerful tool for visualizing network usage in the terminal. It provides real-time statistics about network traffic, allowing you to monitor and analyze network usage efficiently. Whether you want to view all network traffic or focus on specific interfaces, nload provides a simple and effective solution.
