nload

View all network traffic (use the to switch interfaces)

$ nload

$ nload devices [interface_one] [interface_two]

nload [OPTIONS] [DEVICES...]

-a <rate_in_kB/s>
    Sets the maximum scale value for the traffic graph, affecting both incoming and outgoing traffic.

-i <rate_in_kB/s>
    Sets the maximum scale value for the incoming traffic graph only.

-o <rate_in_kB/s>
    Sets the maximum scale value for the outgoing traffic graph only.

-m
    Displays multiple specified devices on the same graph, if applicable, providing a combined view.

-t <milliseconds>
    Sets the refresh interval in milliseconds. The default is 500ms (half a second).

-u <h|k|m|g>
    Specifies the unit for displaying current traffic rates (h=bytes, k=KB, m=MB, g=GB). Default is KB.

-U <h|k|m|g>
    Specifies the unit for displaying total transferred data (h=bytes, k=KB, m=MB, g=GB). Default is KB.

-b
    Displays bandwidth in bits/second instead of bytes/second for current rates and totals.

-H
    Displays the help screen with available options and their descriptions.

-v
    Displays version information about the nload utility.

DEVICES...
    Specifies one or more network interfaces to monitor (e.g., eth0 wlan0). If omitted, nload attempts to monitor all active interfaces.

nload is a lightweight command-line tool designed for real-time monitoring of network traffic and disk I/O.

It presents a clear, graphical representation of incoming and outgoing bandwidth for specified network devices, along with disk read/write activity. Users can quickly see current transfer rates and total data transferred, making it useful for diagnosing network bottlenecks or observing disk activity. Its simple interface makes it accessible for quick checks without requiring complex configuration, providing an instant visual overview of network and disk activity directly in your terminal.

nload typically requires root privileges or appropriate capabilities (e.g., CAP_NET_ADMIN) to access network interface statistics on Linux systems.

While useful for a quick overview, it does not provide per-process network usage or detailed connection information like some other network monitoring tools. Its graphical display is character-based, offering a good visual approximation but not the precision of GUI-based tools.

Beyond network traffic, nload also provides basic disk read/write statistics, making it a versatile tool for gaining a quick overall understanding of system resource utilization in one consolidated view.

The core strength of nload lies in its ability to present real-time, character-based graphs of network traffic. This immediate visual feedback is invaluable for quickly identifying network bottlenecks, traffic spikes, or sustained usage without requiring complex analysis.

nload was developed by Roland Riedel, aiming to provide a simple, curses-based interface for real-time network and disk I/O monitoring. Its development focused on ease of use and immediate visual feedback, making it a popular choice for quick diagnostics and system overview in terminal environments.

iftop(8), netstat(8), sar(1), vnstat(1), bmon(1), ss(8), ip(8), iotop(8), iostat(1)