vnStat
vnStat is a free, console-based network traffic monitor for Linux that records traffic on selected interfaces.
What vnStat is
vnStat is a free, console-based network traffic monitor for Linux that records traffic on selected interfaces. It reads statistics provided by the kernel rather than sniffing network traffic, and can monitor multiple interfaces at once. Reports include summaries, five-minute, hourly, daily, monthly and yearly statistics, as well as top traffic days. Retention is configurable; documented defaults keep five-minute data for 48 hours, hourly data for four days, daily data for two full months and yearly data indefinitely. Output options include text, JSON and XML database output, alerts and optional images when the GD Graphics Library is installed. The maker says vnStat uses system resources lightly regardless of traffic rate. It is open-source software under GPL, with source offered for Linux and BSD and links to Docker and Snap distributions. The FAQ says there is no vnStat-specific database editor and suggests sqlite3 for reading or modifying its database. Traffic estimates work fairly well when interface traffic remains at a similar magnitude, but cannot predict peaks.
Good
- Monitors multiple interfaces simultaneously.
- Provides five-minute through yearly statistics.
- Retention duration is configurable.
- Supports text, JSON, XML and alerts.
Watch out
- Does not sniff network traffic.
- Does not monitor applications.
- Traffic estimates cannot predict peaks.
- No vnStat-specific database editor is available.
Who it suits
vnStat suits users who want console-based historical traffic summaries for one or more network interfaces. It is not an application-level monitor, and its estimates cannot predict traffic peaks.
Verdict
vnStat provides configurable, interface-level traffic history in a lightweight console tool. Users needing application monitoring or peak prediction will need to account for those limits.
Plans and prices
From vnStat's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| vnStat | Free | Open source / GPL'ed · Linux and BSD |
The facts
Each one read from vnStat's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Data editing
- The FAQ says no vnStat-specific database editor is available and suggests using sqlite3 to read or modify the database.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Data source
- It uses network interface statistics provided by the kernel and does not sniff traffic.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Estimate limitation
- The FAQ says traffic estimates work fairly well when interface traffic stays at a similar magnitude and cannot predict peaks.checked 4 Oct 2026
- History
- It provides summary, five-minute, hourly, daily, monthly, yearly, and top-days statistics.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The maker offers source for Linux and BSD, plus links to Docker and Snap distributions.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Integrity check
- The repository's getting-started instructions describe optional GPG verification of the stable release archive and its signature.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Interfaces
- It can monitor multiple network interfaces at the same time.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Output
- It supports text output, JSON and XML database output, alerts, and optional image output when the GD Graphics Library is installed.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- vnStat is a console-based network traffic monitor that logs traffic for selected interfaces.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Resource use
- The maker says vnStat uses system resources lightly regardless of network traffic rate.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Retention
- Data retention duration is configurable; the repository README gives defaults of five-minute data for 48 hours, hourly data for four days, daily data for two full months, and yearly data forever.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- Because vnStat reads kernel-provided interface statistics, the maker says it does not sniff network traffic.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker suggests GitHub for bug reports, improvement ideas, feature requests, and pull requests, and also lists email and IRC contact options.checked 4 Oct 2026
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