To diagnose bandwidth-related problems and preserve server health, real-time network traffic monitoring is essential. “nload” is a small, command-line utility that uses real-time graphs to display incoming and outgoing network traffic independently. Statistics such as current/max throughput and total data transported are also shown.
This guide explains how to install and use “nload” on various Linux distributions to monitor bandwidth usage effectively.
Applies to: CentOS, RHEL, Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian
Follow the steps to install “nload” on a Linux System:
- CentOS / RHEL
- Enable the EPEL repository:
yum install epel-release
- Install nload:
yum install nload
- Enable the EPEL repository:
- Fedora (22 and above)
dnf install nload
- Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install nload
How to use “nload” to monitor network usage?
After installation, you can launch nload with or without specifying a network device.
- Basic Usage
nload
or to monitor a specific device (e.g., eth0):
nload eth0
- Use the left/right arrow keys or Tab/Enter to switch between network interfaces.
Useful Command Options
- Show Multiple Interfaces Without Graphs
nload -m
- Set Average Calculation Window (in seconds)
nload -a 400
- Set Display Refresh Interval (in ms)
nload -ma 400 -t 600
Avoid setting refresh intervals below 100ms to ensure accurate traffic data.
- Monitor Specific Devices
nload devices wlp1s0
Keyboard Shortcuts:
- ? / ? – Switch between network interfaces
- Enter / Tab – Cycle through available interfaces/pages
- F2 – Open options menu
- F5 – Save current settings to config file
- F6 – Reload settings from config file
- q or Ctrl+C – Quit nload
This way, we can conclude “nload” is a lightweight yet powerful tool for real-time network bandwidth monitoring on Linux. Whether you are troubleshooting traffic issues or monitoring server performance, it offers a quick and visual way to track network activity.
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