{
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  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "@id": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/wireshark/#software",
  "name": "Wireshark",
  "description": "Free and open-source network protocol analyzer for capturing and inspecting traffic in detail, with a graphical application and command-line tools.",
  "url": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/wireshark/",
  "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/wireshark/",
  "operatingSystem": "macOS",
  "applicationCategory": "UtilitiesApplication",
  "publisher": {
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    "url": "https://wiresharkfoundation.org/"
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    "https://github.com/wireshark/wireshark"
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  "softwareVersion": "4.6.9",
  "license": "GPL-2.0",
  "offers": {
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    "id": "software:wireshark",
    "slug": "wireshark",
    "name": "Wireshark",
    "type": "SoftwareApplication",
    "entityType": "network protocol analyser",
    "description": "Free and open-source network protocol analyzer for capturing and inspecting traffic in detail, with a graphical application and command-line tools.",
    "shortDescription": "Open-source network protocol analyzer with deep packet inspection.",
    "answer": "Wireshark captures the traffic running across a network and lets you inspect it protocol by protocol, rather than showing you a summary of connections. It understands hundreds of protocols, can capture live or read a saved capture file, and ships as a graphical application alongside command-line tools including TShark and dumpcap. It is free software under the GNU General Public License version 2, and the vendor states the download is the full version rather than a limited demo. It is maintained by the non-profit Wireshark Foundation and runs on macOS, Windows, Linux and UNIX. It suits network engineers, security analysts and developers who need to see what is actually on the wire.",
    "page": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/wireshark/",
    "dataUrl": "https://www.nuanyue.com/data/software/wireshark.json",
    "categories": [
      "networking"
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    "tags": [],
    "platform": [
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    "architecture": [],
    "featured": false,
    "pricing": "open-source",
    "pricingDescription": "Free software under the GNU General Public License version 2. There is no licence fee and the download is the full version, not a limited demo.",
    "license": "GPL-2.0",
    "currentVersion": "4.6.9",
    "openSource": true,
    "website": "https://www.wireshark.org/",
    "documentation": "https://www.wireshark.org/docs/",
    "github": "https://github.com/wireshark/wireshark",
    "download": "https://www.wireshark.org/download/osx/all-versions/Wireshark%204.6.9.dmg",
    "developer": {
      "name": "The Wireshark Foundation",
      "website": "https://wiresharkfoundation.org/"
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    "features": [
      "Captures live traffic and lets you browse it interactively",
      "Deep inspection of hundreds of network protocols",
      "Graphical application plus command-line tools including TShark and dumpcap",
      "Display filter reference covering every filter from version 1.0.0 onward",
      "Offline analysis of previously captured files",
      "Available in more than 20 languages",
      "Runs on macOS, Windows, Linux and UNIX",
      "A universal macOS disk image is published for the current stable release"
    ],
    "useCases": [
      "Diagnosing why a connection is slow or failing",
      "Inspecting exactly what an application sends over the network",
      "Analysing a capture file someone else recorded",
      "Scripting packet analysis through the command-line tools"
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        "text": "Performs deep inspection of hundreds of network protocols rather than summarising connections.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
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        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
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        "text": "Ships both a graphical application and command-line tools such as TShark and dumpcap.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
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        "text": "Is genuinely free software under the GPL version 2, with the full version published rather than a demo.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
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        "text": "Maintained by a non-profit foundation rather than a single commercial vendor.",
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        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "Publishes a complete display filter reference covering every version from 1.0.0 onward.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "cons": [
      {
        "text": "It shows raw packets rather than conclusions, so interpreting the output requires protocol knowledge.",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed"
      },
      {
        "text": "Inspecting encrypted traffic is only possible to the extent the capture provides the means to decrypt it.",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed"
      },
      {
        "text": "The minimum macOS version is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks.",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed"
      }
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    "whoIsItFor": [
      "Network engineers and administrators troubleshooting live problems",
      "Security analysts examining traffic for anomalies",
      "Developers who need to see the actual bytes their code puts on the wire"
    ],
    "notFor": [
      "Anyone who needs a tool that explains a network problem in plain language — Wireshark shows you packets, not conclusions",
      "Users who need to debug HTTPS request and response bodies easily, which is the job of an intercepting proxy rather than a packet analyzer"
    ],
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      "Analysing encrypted traffic is limited to what the capture exposes; decryption requires keys that Wireshark does not obtain for you",
      "Capturing on macOS requires elevated privileges or additional configuration for the capture interface",
      "Apple Silicon support is not stated in the sources Nuanyue tracks, though the vendor publishes a universal disk image"
    ],
    "firstUse": {
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        "value": "A macOS universal disk image is published on the download page; packages also exist for Windows and Linux.",
        "status": "verified",
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        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "firstLaunch": {
        "value": "Select a network interface to capture on; no account or sign-in is involved.",
        "status": "derived",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "systemIntegration": {
        "value": "Captures at the network interface level, so it observes traffic from every application rather than a single one.",
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        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
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        "question": "Is Wireshark free?",
        "answer": "Yes. Wireshark is free software under the GNU General Public License version 2, and the vendor states that the download is the full version rather than a demo with features removed.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Which platforms does Wireshark support?",
        "answer": "It runs on most computing platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux and UNIX, and can be built from source on others.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Does Wireshark have a command-line version?",
        "answer": "Yes. The project publishes command-line tools including TShark and dumpcap alongside the graphical application, with UNIX-style manual pages for each.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Who maintains Wireshark?",
        "answer": "It is maintained by the Wireshark Foundation, a non-profit organisation funded by donations and sponsors rather than by selling licences.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "relationships": [
      {
        "target": "charles",
        "type": "similar",
        "reason": "Both inspect network traffic in detail, but Charles is an intercepting proxy that decrypts and presents HTTP requests while Wireshark captures packets at the interface level.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "proxyman",
        "type": "similar",
        "reason": "Both are used to see what an application sends over the network, but Proxyman focuses on HTTP debugging through a proxy while Wireshark works across all protocols.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "mitmproxy",
        "type": "similar",
        "reason": "Both are free tools for inspecting traffic, but mitmproxy is a scriptable intercepting proxy for HTTP while Wireshark is a packet capture and protocol analyzer.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "little-snitch",
        "type": "complements",
        "reason": "Little Snitch decides which connections your Mac may make, and Wireshark shows in detail what those connections actually carry.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
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        "id": "wireshark:official",
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        "id": "wireshark:documentation",
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        "title": "Wireshark — source repository",
        "trustLevel": "D",
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    "lastUpdated": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z",
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}