jNetPcap SDK

The easiest way to get started with jNetPcap.

One dependency, everything included.

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Installation (Stable Release)

When the stable 3.0.0 is released:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.slytechs.sdk</groupId>
    <artifactId>jnetpcap-sdk</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.0</version>
</dependency>

Current Development Version (3.0.0-SNAPSHOT)

To use the latest development build (recommended for early adopters):

<repositories>
    <repository>
        <id>sonatype-snapshots</id>
        <url>https://central.sonatype.com/repository/maven-snapshots/</url>
        <releases><enabled>false</enabled></releases>
        <snapshots><enabled>true</enabled></snapshots>
    </repository>
</repositories>

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.slytechs.sdk</groupId>
    <artifactId>jnetpcap-sdk</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
</dependency>

That's it.

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What's Included

Module	Description
jnetpcap-api	High-level capture and analysis API
jnetpcap-bindings	Low-level libpcap FFM bindings
sdk-protocol-tcpip	Ethernet, IPv4/6, TCP, UDP, VLAN, MPLS, IPsec
sdk-protocol-core	Protocol dissection framework
sdk-common	Memory management and utilities

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Quick Start

import com.slytechs.jnet.jnetpcap.api.NetPcap;
import com.slytechs.sdk.protocol.tcpip.ip.Ip4;
import com.slytechs.sdk.protocol.tcpip.tcp.Tcp;

public class CaptureExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws PcapException {
        // Activate the community license (required, internet connection needed)
        NetPcap.activateLicense();
        
        // Pre-allocate headers for zero-allocation capture
        Ip4 ip4 = new Ip4();
        Tcp tcp = new Tcp();
        
        try (var pcap = NetPcap.openOffline("capture.pcap")) {
            
            pcap.dispatch(100, packet -> {
                
                if (packet.hasHeader(ip4)) {
                    System.out.printf("IP: %s -> %s%n", ip4.src(), ip4.dst());
                }
                
                if (packet.hasHeader(tcp)) {
                    System.out.printf("TCP: %d -> %d%n", tcp.srcPort(), tcp.dstPort());
                }
            });
        }
    }
}

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JVM Arguments

jNetPcap uses the Java Foreign Function & Memory (FFM) API for native libpcap access. Add these JVM arguments when running your application:

java --enable-native-access=com.slytechs.sdk.jnetpcap,com.slytechs.sdk.common -jar myapp.jar

For Maven exec plugin:

<plugin>
    <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
    <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
    <configuration>
        <executable>java</executable>
        <arguments>
            <argument>--enable-native-access=com.slytechs.sdk.jnetpcap,com.slytechs.sdk.common</argument>
            <argument>-classpath</argument>
            <classpath/>
            <argument>com.example.MyApp</argument>
        </arguments>
    </configuration>
</plugin>

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License Activation

The jNetPcap SDK includes a free unlimited Community Edition license. To use it:

1. Call NetPcap.activateLicense() once at application startup
2. Internet connectivity is required for activation
3. No registration or API keys needed

public static void main(String[] args) throws PcapException {
    // Required: Activate the community license before any capture operations
    NetPcap.activateLicense();
    
    // Now use jNetPcap normally
    try (var pcap = NetPcap.openOffline("capture.pcap")) {
        pcap.loop(-1, packet -> System.out.println(packet));
    }
}

The Community Edition is licensed under Apache 2.0 with telemetry. For commercial licenses without telemetry, contact [email protected].

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Optional Protocol Packs

Need more protocols? Add them (same version and repository rules apply):

<!-- Web protocols: HTTP, TLS, DNS, QUIC, WebSocket -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.slytechs.sdk</groupId>
    <artifactId>sdk-protocol-web</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
</dependency>

<!-- Infrastructure: BGP, OSPF, STP, VRRP, LACP, LLDP -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.slytechs.sdk</groupId>
    <artifactId>sdk-protocol-infra</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
</dependency>

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Native Library Requirements

Platform	Library	Installation
Linux	libpcap	apt install libpcap-dev
macOS	libpcap	Pre-installed
Windows	Npcap	npcap.com

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Examples

See the jnetpcap-examples repository for complete working examples:

• Live capture with BPF filters
• Offline pcap/pcapng file reading
• Protocol dissection (Ethernet, IPv4/6, TCP, UDP)
• Packet persistence and pooling
• Multi-threaded capture patterns
• Writing packets to files

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Documentation

• jnetpcap-examples - Working examples
• jnetpcap-api README - Full API documentation
• GitHub Wiki - User guides and tutorials
• Javadocs - API reference

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Gradle

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
    maven { url 'https://central.sonatype.com/repository/maven-snapshots/' }
}

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.slytechs.sdk:jnetpcap-sdk:3.0.0-SNAPSHOT'
}

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License

Licensed under Apache License v2.0. See LICENSE for details.

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Sly Technologies Inc. - High-performance network analysis solutions

Website: www.slytechs.com