Command index A–Z
Every command mentioned on this site, in one place. Windows, PowerShell, macOS, Linux and BSD are mixed together on purpose: the job is the same, only the spelling changes.
| Command | Platform | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|---|
arp | Win/mac/Linux | Show or edit the ARP cache (IP to MAC) | → |
arp-scan | Linux/mac | List every host on the segment with vendor | → |
arping | Linux/mac | Ping at the ARP layer; detect duplicate addresses | → |
avahi-browse / avahi-resolve | Linux | Browse and resolve mDNS (.local) services and names | → |
bridge | Linux | Bridge FDB and VLAN filtering (iproute2) | → |
Clear-DnsClientCache | PowerShell | Flush the DNS cache | → |
curl | All | HTTP client; port tests; public IP (curl ipconfig.co.uk/ip) | → |
dhclient | Linux | ISC DHCP client: release and renew | → |
dhcpcd | Linux/BSD | DHCP client (Raspberry Pi OS, Arch, NetBSD) | → |
dhcpleasectl | OpenBSD | Show and request DHCP leases | → |
dig | Linux/mac | DNS lookups in full detail | → |
dladm / ipadm | Solaris/illumos | Link and IP configuration | → |
dns-sd | macOS | Browse and query Bonjour services | → |
drill / kdig / doggo | Linux | Alternative DNS query tools | → |
dscacheutil | macOS | Flush or query the Directory Services cache; resolve as the system does | → |
ethtool | Linux | Link speed, duplex, driver, offloads, NIC statistics | → |
firewall-cmd | Linux | firewalld front end (Fedora, RHEL) | → |
Get-DnsClientServerAddress | PowerShell | Configured DNS servers | → |
Get-NetAdapter | PowerShell | Adapters, status, link speed, MAC | → |
Get-NetIPAddress | PowerShell | IP addresses per interface | → |
Get-NetIPConfiguration | PowerShell | The ipconfig equivalent as objects | → |
Get-NetNeighbor | PowerShell | ARP/NDP cache | → |
Get-NetRoute | PowerShell | Routing table | → |
Get-NetTCPConnection | PowerShell | Connections and listeners | → |
getent hosts | Linux | Resolve a name the way applications do (nsswitch) | → |
getmac | Windows | MAC addresses of all adapters | → |
host | Linux/mac | Terse DNS lookups | → |
hostname | All | Show (and on Unix set) the computer name | → |
hostnamectl | Linux | Show and set hostnames on systemd | → |
ifconfig | Linux/mac/BSD | Interface configuration, the 1983 original | → |
ifup / ifdown | Debian/BSD | Bring interfaces up or down from config files | → |
ip | Linux | Addresses, links, routes, neighbours, namespaces (iproute2) | → |
ip a / ip r / ip n | Linux | The ip command shortcuts | → |
ipconfig | Windows | Show TCP/IP configuration, DHCP release/renew, DNS cache | → |
ipconfig (macOS) | macOS | Control the IP configuration agent: getifaddr, getpacket, set | → |
iperf3 | All | Throughput between two machines | → |
iptables / ip6tables | Linux | Legacy packet filter front end | → |
iw | Linux | Wireless configuration and status (nl80211) | → |
iwconfig / iwlist / iwgetid | Linux | Legacy wireless-tools | → |
iwctl | Linux | iwd client for Wi-Fi | → |
lsof -i | mac/Linux | Which process owns which socket | → |
mtr | Linux/mac | Continuous traceroute with loss per hop | → |
nbtstat | Windows | NetBIOS names and cache | → |
nc / ncat | Linux/mac | Port tests, raw TCP/UDP | → |
ndp | macOS/BSD | IPv6 neighbour cache | → |
netplan | Ubuntu | YAML network configuration | → |
netsh | Windows | The network shell: interface, wlan, advfirewall, winsock… | → |
netstat | All | Connections, listeners, routes, interface statistics | → |
networkctl | Linux | systemd-networkd status and control | → |
networksetup | macOS | Persistent network configuration per service | → |
New-NetIPAddress / Set-DnsClientServerAddress | PowerShell | Set a static address and DNS | → |
nft | Linux | nftables packet filter | → |
nmap | All | Host discovery and port scanning (your own network) | → |
nmcli / nmtui | Linux | NetworkManager command line and text UI | → |
nslookup | All | DNS lookups | → |
pathping | Windows | Traceroute plus per-hop loss | → |
pfctl | macOS/BSD | The pf packet filter | → |
ping / ping6 | All | Reachability and round-trip time | → |
pktmon | Windows | Built-in packet capture | → |
Resolve-DnsName | PowerShell | DNS lookups via the Windows resolver | → |
resolvectl / systemd-resolve | Linux | systemd-resolved: DNS servers, queries, flush | → |
rfkill | Linux | Radio kill switches (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth blocked?) | → |
route | All | Routing table: print, add, delete | → |
scutil | macOS | System configuration store: DNS, proxies, hostnames | → |
show ip interface brief | Cisco IOS | The ipconfig of routers and switches | → |
socketfilterfw | macOS | The application firewall | → |
speedtest / speedtest-cli | All | Internet speed test | → |
ss | Linux | Sockets: listeners and connections (replaces netstat) | → |
sysctl | Linux/mac/BSD | Kernel network parameters (forwarding, IPv6, temp addresses) | → |
tcpdump | Linux/mac/BSD | Packet capture | → |
telnet | All | Crude port test | → |
Test-Connection | PowerShell | Ping as objects | → |
Test-NetConnection | PowerShell | Ping, port test, traceroute in one cmdlet | → |
tracepath | Linux | Traceroute without root, discovers path MTU | → |
traceroute / tracert / traceroute6 | All | The path to a host | → |
tshark / Wireshark | All | Packet analysis | → |
ufw | Linux | Uncomplicated Firewall (Ubuntu) | → |
wdutil | macOS | Wi-Fi diagnostics (replaces airport) | → |
whois | All | Domain and IP registration data | → |
winipcfg | Windows 9x | The graphical ancestor of ipconfig | → |
wpa_supplicant / wpa_cli | Linux/BSD | WPA authentication without a manager | → |
Looking for a message rather than a command? See Error messages A–Z. Looking for the same task on several platforms? See the cheat sheet.