Scapy
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About
Scapy is ranked #1 of 29 in network protocol analyzers on Inferse. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web, Windows. There is a free plan.
Compared on network protocol analyzers
Facts
- Purpose
- Scapy is a Python packet manipulation program and library that can forge or decode packets, send and capture them, and match requests with replies.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
- Shell and library
- Scapy can be used as an interactive shell or as a library.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
- Network tasks
- The project lists scanning, tracerouting, probing, unit tests, and network discovery among Scapy’s uses.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
- Packet handling
- Scapy can read and store packets in pcap files and can inject invalid frames and custom 802.11 frames.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
- Protocol extensions
- The documentation includes instructions for adding new protocols and extending Scapy with add-ons.scapy.readthedocs.io · 30 Sept 2026
- Platform support
- Scapy runs on Linux, macOS, BSD, and Windows; Windows installation requires Npcap.scapy.readthedocs.io · 30 Sept 2026
- Optional dependencies
- Plotting requires Matplotlib, while TLS decryption and PKI operations require the cryptography package.scapy.readthedocs.io · 30 Sept 2026
- Security reporting
- GitHub’s security page says the project has not set up a SECURITY.md file and provides a vulnerability reporting link.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
- License
- Scapy’s code, tests, and tools are licensed under GPL v2.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
- Intended audiences
- The project metadata lists developers, IT, science and research, system administrators, and telecommunications as intended audiences.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
- Documentation
- The project provides online documentation with installation instructions, usage guides, troubleshooting, and an API reference.scapy.readthedocs.io · 30 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- Scapy is a Python program for sending, sniffing, dissecting and forging network packets.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Packet handling
- It can forge or decode packets across many protocols, send them, capture them, and match requests with replies.scapy.net · 2 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- Scapy supports scanning, tracerouting, probing, unit tests, attacks and network discovery.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Interactive modes
- Scapy can be used as an interactive shell or as a library.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Packet flexibility
- Users can set arbitrary field values and stack protocol layers without predetermined templates.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Raw results
- After a probe, Scapy returns the full decoded packets before interpretation so users can analyze them in different ways.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Python DSL
- Scapy uses Python syntax and interpreter capabilities as a domain-specific language for describing packets.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- Scapy runs on Linux, macOS, BSD and Windows; Windows installation requires Npcap.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The latest release can be installed with pip install scapy, and it can also run from the run_scapy or run_scapy.bat scripts without installation.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Optional integrations
- Optional features can use Matplotlib, PyX, Graphviz, ImageMagick, VPython-Jupyter and cryptography.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Licensing
- Scapy code, tests and tools are licensed under GPL v2, while its documentation is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.5.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Security support
- Critical bugs should be reported privately through GitHub's security tab, and the project supports only the latest Scapy master version.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Release
- Scapy documentation lists release 2.7.1 dated October 1, 2026.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Audience
- Scapy is intended for users who need customizable network probing and packet manipulation tools rather than fixed-purpose utilities.scapy.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
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Sources
- github.com/secdev/scapy· checked 30 Sept 2026
- scapy.readthedocs.io/en/latest/· checked 30 Sept 2026
- scapy.readthedocs.io/en/latest/installation.html· checked 30 Sept 2026
- github.com/secdev/scapy/security/policy· checked 30 Sept 2026
- github.com/secdev/scapy/blob/master/pyproject.toml· checked 30 Sept 2026
- scapy.readthedocs.io/en/latest/introduction.html· checked 2 Oct 2026
- scapy.net· checked 2 Oct 2026
- scapy.readthedocs.io/en/stable/installation.html· checked 2 Oct 2026
- github.com/secdev/scapy/blob/master/SECURITY.md· checked 2 Oct 2026


