tcpdump is a powerful command-line packet analyzer used primarily in UNIX and UNIX-like operating
systems; it allows the capture and display of TCP/IP and other packets being transmitted or received
over a network to which the computer is attached.
Unlike graphical tools like Wireshark, tcpdump provides raw output of the packet captures directly to
the terminal or a specified file, making it ideal for deep dive network analysis, especially in
environments where a graphical user interface is unavailable.
tcpdump uses the libpcap library to capture packet data, which allows it to support a wide range of
command-line options to filter and display packet information according to user needs.
Reference
"tcpdump manual page," by the Tcpdump Group.
"Practical Packet Analysis Using Wireshark to Solve Real-World Network Problems," by Chris Sanders,
No Starch Press.
