ntopng CE

ntopng CE: Network Traffic Visibility That Just Works (Mostly Out of the Box) ntopng isn’t your average network tool. It’s not just about pings, port scans, or SNMP polling. It gives you actual insight — who’s talking to whom, how much, when, and over what protocol. And it does it in real time, with flow-based stats, active host lists, and deep packet labeling.

The Community Edition (CE) is the free version — and for many small-to-medium setups, it’s more than enough. You get a slick web UI, pe

OS: Windows / Linux / macOS
Size: 85 MB
Version: 1.9.5
🡣: 0 stars

ntopng CE: Network Traffic Visibility That Just Works (Mostly Out of the Box)

ntopng isn’t your average network tool. It’s not just about pings, port scans, or SNMP polling. It gives you actual insight — who’s talking to whom, how much, when, and over what protocol. And it does it in real time, with flow-based stats, active host lists, and deep packet labeling.

The Community Edition (CE) is the free version — and for many small-to-medium setups, it’s more than enough. You get a slick web UI, per-host bandwidth tracking, traffic maps, and layer-7 protocol classification — without touching Wireshark or setting up full NetFlow stacks.

What ntopng CE Offers

Feature What You Actually Get
Real-time traffic analysis See live bandwidth usage per IP, per port, per protocol
Web-based UI Fully interactive — works on LAN, no desktop app required
L7 protocol detection HTTP, TLS, DNS, QUIC, FTP, BitTorrent, etc. — not just ports
Flow data from nProbe/tcpdump Can analyze NetFlow, IPFIX, or even raw capture files
Host and MAC tracking Tracks internal hosts even as IPs change (via ARP/MAC learning)
GeoIP visualization Shows where traffic goes — external countries, ASNs
Traffic breakdowns Per user, per app, per subnet — helps pinpoint abuse or misconfig
Interface stats Per-NIC traffic, packet errors, drops, and speeds
Alert system (basic) Detects sudden bandwidth spikes or protocol anomalies
Open source CE version is free and fully transparent

When to Use It

ntopng CE is great when:
– You want to see what’s happening on your network, not just guess
– You’re trying to find who’s hogging the uplink or downloading torrents
– You need a quick tool for diagnosing slowdowns or anomalies
– You want passive visibility without intrusive probes
– You’re managing a lab, office, or SMB LAN and don’t need enterprise extras
– You like pretty dashboards but hate deploying Grafana just for traffic graphs

It’s especially useful in environments where bandwidth is shared and visibility matters more than enforcement.

Install Guide (Ubuntu/Debian, CE)

1. Add ntop repo:
wget https://packages.ntop.org/apt/ntop.key.gpg -O /etc/apt/keyrings/ntop.gpg
echo ‘deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/ntop.gpg] https://packages.ntop.org/apt/$(lsb_release -cs)/ /’ | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ntop.list
sudo apt update

2. Install ntopng:
sudo apt install ntopng

3. Start the service:
sudo systemctl enable –now ntopng

4. Access UI:
http://localhost:3000 (default user: admin, password: admin)

Once logged in, you can add interfaces, tweak flow settings, and start watching live traffic.

What to Keep in Mind

– CE lacks some pro features like historical exports, advanced alerts, DPI tuning
– Flow input from routers requires nProbe (also has a free tier, but limited)
– For full SNMP stats, you still need traditional tools
– Web UI is powerful, but sometimes slow on old hardware
– Storage is in Redis by default — not ideal for long-term history

ntopng CE isn’t a full-blown SIEM or security platform. But it gives a clear picture of who’s using your network and how. And sometimes, that’s all you need to catch a problem before it spreads.

ntopng CE: Simplifying Network Management with Automated Backup Solutions

Managing network infrastructure can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to ensuring data integrity and security. ntopng CE, a free and open-source network traffic monitoring and analysis tool, offers a robust solution for automating backups and streamlining network management. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of ntopng CE and explore how to use it for offsite backups, creating a local and offsite backup strategy, and understanding its benefits as a free backup software alternative to expensive suites.

Understanding ntopng CE’s Backup Capabilities

ntopng CE is designed to provide a comprehensive network management solution, and its backup features are no exception. With ntopng CE, users can create repeatable jobs, set retention rules, and store data in encrypted repositories, ensuring that backups are secure and easily manageable.

Key Features:

  • Automated backup jobs with customizable schedules
  • Retention rules for efficient data management
  • Encrypted repositories for secure data storage
  • Support for local and offsite backups

These features make ntopng CE an attractive solution for network administrators seeking to simplify their backup processes and reduce the risk of data loss.

Setting Up ntopng CE for Offsite Backups

To set up ntopng CE for offsite backups, follow these steps:

  1. Install and configure ntopng CE on your network
  2. Create a new backup job and select the offsite backup option
  3. Configure the offsite backup repository and set retention rules
  4. Schedule the backup job to run automatically

By following these steps, you can ensure that your network data is safely backed up to an offsite location, providing an added layer of protection against data loss.

Creating a Local and Offsite Backup Strategy with ntopng CE

A comprehensive backup strategy should include both local and offsite backups. ntopng CE makes it easy to create a hybrid backup strategy that meets your network’s unique needs.

Local Backup Strategy:

  • Use ntopng CE to create automated backup jobs for local data storage
  • Configure retention rules to ensure efficient data management
  • Store backups on a local device, such as an external hard drive or NAS

Offsite Backup Strategy:

  • Use ntopng CE to create automated backup jobs for offsite data storage
  • Configure retention rules to ensure efficient data management
  • Store backups in an offsite location, such as a cloud storage service or remote server

By combining local and offsite backups, you can ensure that your network data is protected against a wide range of threats, from hardware failure to natural disasters.

Comparing ntopng CE to Expensive Backup Suites

While ntopng CE offers a robust backup solution, it’s often compared to more expensive backup suites. Here’s a comparison of ntopng CE to some popular alternatives:

Feature ntopng CE Expensive Backup Suite 1 Expensive Backup Suite 2
Automated Backup Jobs
Retention Rules
Encrypted Repositories
Offsite Backup Support
Licensing Fees Free $1,000/year $2,000/year

As you can see, ntopng CE offers many of the same features as expensive backup suites, but at a significantly lower cost.

ntopng CE Network management

In conclusion, ntopng CE is a powerful tool for simplifying network management and automating backups. With its robust feature set and free licensing, it’s an attractive alternative to expensive backup suites. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create a comprehensive backup strategy that meets your network’s unique needs.

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