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Wireshark

ApplicationWireshark Foundation

Dem still dey call am ethereal, wireshark analyzer

Wireshark FoundationSystem

Packet capture and analyzer tool. Di process na Wireshark.exe. Npcap na di usual Windows capture driver. E no be Resource Monitor.

Wetin you need know

Wireshark dey decode packets. Resource Monitor only dey show totals.

Wireshark Foundation Wireshark dey capture and decode traffic. Get am from wireshark.org. Npcap na di usual Windows driver. Resource Monitor no be packet decoder. Nmap na scanner.

Wetin e be?
Packet capture and analyzer
Same thing as Resource Monitor?
No. resmon dey show totals, e no dey decode
Windows driver?
Npcap na di usual capture driver
Feex tok say
If di question na "wetin dis PC send", I go capture inside Wireshark wit Npcap. I no go use Resource Monitor for protocol decode. I still no go scan other people network without permission.

Wetin be Wireshark?

Wireshark.exe dey decode packet captures. dumpcap.exe dey record. Npcap na di Windows driver wey pass installs dey use. Resource Monitor na resmon.exe and e no dey decode protocols.

If you never use am before

If you need make you see packets for wire, Wireshark na di Wireshark Foundation analyzer. Download am from wireshark.org. For Windows e dey usually install Npcap as di capture driver. E no be Resource Monitor, wey only dey show process network totals, and e no be Nmap.

Wetin dem dey use am for?

Capture and decode packets

TCP, TLS handshakes, and more. Resource Monitor no go show DNS query decode.

Open pcap wey somebody send

File > Open. Nmap na scanner. E no dey replace dis decode window.

Filter wit display filters

http or dns filters dey live here. Dem no be Resource Monitor process list.

Na who e dey for?

  • People wey dey find bad DNS or TLS failure
  • Students wey dey networking class
  • Anybody wey suppose capture only on top networks wey dem get permission to watch

Current status

Wireshark (1998) na current packet analyzer from Wireshark Foundation. Di vendor still dey direct Windows users go https://www.wireshark.org/download.html.

How old e be?

Gerald Combs release Ethereal for 1998. Di project change name to Wireshark for 2006. Resource Monitor na in-box Windows view. Current Wireshark still dey come from wireshark.org.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers no dey all verified here.

Stable Windows x64
Old stable

System requirements

Values dey follow wetin di publisher release publicly. Workload still dey change di real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system Windows 10 or Windows 11, according to current wireshark.org Windows builds
RAM E reach for Windows plus dis app. Heavy projects go want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand
E dey increase wit packet rate and dissectors
RAM demand
Big pcap fit huge well-well for memory
Disk demand
Di capture file dey grow fast for busy LAN

Installed processes

Dese executables belong to dis product when e dey installed.

Installed processes
Wireshark.exe Analyzer window
dumpcap.exe Capture helper

Startup components

Wireshark no suppose start wit Windows. Npcap na driver, no be tray app wey you go leave make e dey capture.

File locations

Common Wireshark locations
Typical install C:\Program Files\Wireshark\

File formats

PCAPPCAPNG

Common wahala dem

Capture permission or missing Npcap

Run di Wireshark installer again make you include Npcap. Resource Monitor no need capture driver.

Huge pcap dey full di disk

Use capture filter. Process Monitor na di other tool wey im log dey grow fast. Dis one dey grow on top di wire.

How to get unstuck

Download from wireshark.org/download.html

Install Npcap when di setup ask. Resource Monitor already dey Windows if na only process totals you want.

Run as administrator if no interfaces show

Capture need permission plus Npcap. Nmap get im own driver matter (Npcap too) but na scanner e be.

Use capture filter if di pcap huge well-well

host and port filters dey reduce di file. Display filters dey hide rows after e don capture finish.

Alternatives

Resource Monitor for simple totals. Nmap for port scans. pktmon on current Windows for Microsoft capture path.

Official help and downloads

Start with di vendor. Random exe sites no be support channel.

Official contacts
Download www.wireshark.org/download.html Official installer or vendor page
Help www.wireshark.org/docs/ Vendor support
Official site www.wireshark.org/ Start here, no be random exe host

Related hardware

NIC wey you get permission to capture on top. Promiscuous mode na network policy matter, no be GPU need.

Technical details

Technical details

Vendor version numbers dey change. Dis article no pin down any build.

Sources and verification

Recorded source label: August 2026. Dis label no establish independent verification. How we dey do research.

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