vnStat review
A focused open-source monitor for long-term interface statistics, not application-level analysis.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
vnStat is an open-source, console-based network traffic monitor for Linux and BSD. It is suited to administrators and technical users who need persistent bandwidth statistics for selected network interfaces without packet sniffing. The utility records traffic at five-minute, hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly intervals, while also providing top-day views and live traffic-rate monitoring. Its focus is interface-level visibility rather than application-level analysis.
The published feature set is strong for lightweight, long-term tracking. vnStat reads statistics supplied by the operating-system kernel, which avoids the packet-sniffing approach used by more granular monitors. It supports multiple interfaces, configurable data-retention duration, and historical records described as unlimited. For integration with scripts or other tools, it provides JSON, XML, and one-line output formats, with optional PNG image output. Traffic-limit alerts add a practical way to flag configured usage thresholds. These features make it a good fit for retaining compact interface statistics and producing machine-readable reports.
The trade-off is scope. vnStat does not provide application monitoring, flow monitoring, or SNMP monitoring, and its listed platform coverage centers on Linux and self-hosted use. Teams that need to identify which applications or traffic flows consume bandwidth, or that need broader multi-platform and network-device coverage, should choose a more extensive monitoring system. Users seeking a focused command-line utility for interface history, live rates, configurable retention, and alerting should pick vnStat; users needing deeper traffic attribution or wider ecosystem coverage should not.
vnStat pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Monitors multiple interfaces with live traffic-rate views
- Keeps five-minute through yearly traffic statistics
- Offers JSON, XML, PNG, and traffic-limit alert outputs
- Where it doesn't
- No application-level monitoring
- No flow or SNMP monitoring
- Designed for Linux and self-hosted environments
vnStat fact sheet, pricing and score →
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