PacketQ
A command-line tool that runs SQL queries directly on PCAP files and includes a built-in web server for remote inspection.
What is PacketQ?
PacketQ is a command-line tool that allows users to run SQL queries directly on PCAP (packet capture) files, enabling efficient network traffic analysis without the need for intermediate databases. It supports multiple output formats like JSON, CSV, and XML, and includes a built-in web server for remote PCAP inspection. The tool is designed for fast decoding and querying, making it ideal for troubleshooting and analyzing network protocols such as DNS and ICMP.
Network administrators, security analysts, and developers who need to analyze packet capture files for debugging, monitoring, or research purposes. It is particularly useful for those working with DNS traffic or requiring SQL-based querying capabilities on raw network data.
PacketQ stands out by combining SQL querying with direct PCAP file analysis, eliminating the need for database imports. Its lightweight design, minimal dependencies, and built-in web server offer a self-contained solution for both local and remote packet inspection, with extensible protocol support and performance optimizations for large files.
Overview
Use Cases
Best For
- Running SQL queries on packet capture files without intermediate databases
- Analyzing DNS traffic and ICMP protocols in PCAPs
- Remote inspection of PCAP files via a built-in web server
- Exporting network analysis results as JSON, CSV, or XML
- Efficiently querying large PCAP files with sampling support
- Troubleshooting network issues with fast, in-memory sorting and decoding
Not Ideal For
- Real-time network monitoring and live packet analysis
- Decoding complex protocols beyond ICMP and DNS without custom extensions
- Projects requiring advanced graphical interfaces or rich visualizations
Pros & Cons
Pros
Super-fast native decoding of PCAP files, even gzipped, with dirt-quick in-memory sorting algorithms, enabling rapid query performance as stated in the features.
Only dependent on zlib, with no other hard-to-find libraries, making it easy to compile on various systems per the dependencies section.
Allows running SQL queries directly on PCAP files without intermediate databases, supporting grouping, sorting, and most SQL functions for efficient analysis.
Includes a web server for remote PCAP inspection via a simple JQuery-based GUI and JSON API, useful for team troubleshooting and remote access.
Supports sampling to efficiently query large, uniform PCAP files, optimizing performance for big data analysis as highlighted in the features.
Cons
Only built-in support for ICMP and DNS; other protocols require extensible decoding, which may involve custom development work, limiting out-of-the-box usability.
The web server and GUI are described as 'simplistic,' lacking advanced features for complex data visualization or interactive analysis compared to full-fledged tools.
Licensed under GPL v3, which can be a barrier for integration into proprietary or closed-source commercial projects due to copyleft requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
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PcapPlusPlusPcapPlusPlus is a multiplatform C++ library for capturing, parsing and crafting of network packets. It is designed to be efficient, powerful and easy to use. It provides C++ wrappers for the most popular packet processing engines such as libpcap, Npcap, WinPcap, DPDK, AF_XDP and PF_RING.
EttercapEttercap Project
tcpflowTCP/IP packet demultiplexer. Download from:
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