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Use ss as the default for checking Linux sockets and ports. The Linux netstat(8) manual describes netstat as mostly obsolete for socket inspection and identifies ss as its replacement. Keep netstat for legacy systems or workflows that use its older networking modes.
Which command should you use?
For current socket inspection—such as finding listening ports or viewing TCP connection states—choose ss. Its manual says it displays information similar to netstat, with more TCP and state information. The Linux ss(8) manual describes it as a tool to dump socket statistics.
netstat remains useful when it is already part of a legacy environment or when you rely on its historical modes for routes, interface statistics, or multicast memberships. For those tasks, Linux’s netstat manual points to specific ip commands as replacements.
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| What you want to see | Command | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Listening TCP ports | ss -ltn |
Listening TCP sockets with numeric addresses and ports. |
| Listening TCP and UDP sockets | ss -tuln |
Listening TCP and UDP sockets with numeric addresses and ports. |
| Listening TCP ports and associated processes | ss -ltnp |
Listening TCP sockets and process information when available to your user. |
| Listening TCP and UDP sockets and associated processes | ss -tulnp |
Listening TCP and UDP sockets and process information when available to your user. |
| All TCP sockets, including listeners and active connections | ss -t -a |
Listening and non-listening TCP sockets. |
These options combine protocol selection and output controls: -t selects TCP, -u selects UDP, -l limits results to listening sockets, -n keeps addresses and ports numeric, and -p requests process information. By default, ss omits listening sockets; use -l to show only listeners or -a to include both listening and non-listening sockets. The manual documents additional socket filters for narrowing results beyond a broad listing.
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When to use netstat
If a system or established procedure requires netstat, its manual gives netstat -tulpn as an example for listing TCP and UDP ports with process IDs. Process details for sockets not owned by the invoking user may require superuser privileges.
Netstat can also show information beyond sockets, including routing tables, interface statistics, and multicast memberships. For those specific jobs, the manual names these alternatives:
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- Supported features include Wake-on-LAN function, Green Ethernet & IEEE 802.3az-2010 (Energy Efficient Ethernet)
- Supports IPv4/IPv6 pack Checksum Offload Engine (COE) to reduce Cental Processing Unit (CPU) loading
- Compatible with Windows 8.1 or higher, Mac OS
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| View routes | ip route |
| View interface statistics | ip -s link |
| View multicast memberships | ip maddr |
How ss and netstat differ in practice
| Consideration | ss |
netstat |
|---|---|---|
| Socket inspection | Recommended default; supports socket filters and provides more TCP and state information, according to its manual. | Useful for legacy familiarity; the Linux manual calls it mostly obsolete for socket inspection. |
| Process visibility | -p requests process details; permissions may limit what is shown. |
-p requests process IDs in the documented TCP/UDP listing example; superuser privileges may be needed for sockets owned by other users. |
| Other networking views | Focused on sockets. | Includes historical route, interface-statistics, and multicast modes, with named ip replacements for those tasks. |
| Large socket listings | The netstat manual recommends ss on busy systems with many sockets; it gives no measured benchmark. | The netstat manual describes performance as low for large socket listings on busy servers; it gives no measured benchmark. |
The performance guidance is qualitative, not a quantified comparison: the manual does not publish timings or a percentage difference.
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What a listening port does—and does not—tell you
A listening socket shows that a local application is waiting for connections on that address and port. It does not prove that a remote user can reach the service. Host firewall rules, routing, network namespaces, container boundaries, and network policy can all affect reachability. If external access is the question, inspect those layers separately; ss and netstat report local socket state.
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Check your installed commands and output
These details describe Linux manual-page behavior, not the package state of every distribution. ss is associated with iproute2 and netstat with net-tools; installed versions can differ in availability, options, or output. Consult man ss and man netstat on the system you are using when a flag or result does not match these examples. For more detail, see the Linux netstat(8) manual.
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