How to Install netstat Command on macOS

If you have recently tried to use the netstat command on your macOS terminal and received a “command not found” error, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The netstat command has been deprecated and removed from macOS starting with macOS Mojave (10.14) and newer versions. However, you can still achieve similar functionality using different commands available on macOS.

Why netstat is no longer available on macOS?

Apple decided to remove the netstat command from macOS for security and compatibility reasons. They recommended using the lsof (list open files) command as an alternative for some functionalities.

Alternative commands on macOS

1. Using lsof

To get similar information to what netstat provided, you can use the lsof command with specific options. For example, to list all open network connections, you can use the following command:

lsof -i

2. Using ss

Another alternative is the ss command, which can provide socket statistics. Here’s an example of how to use ss to list all TCP connections:

ss -t -a

Conclusion

While the netstat command is no longer available on macOS, you can still achieve similar functionality using commands like lsof and ss. These alternatives provide the necessary network information you might need to troubleshoot network-related issues on your macOS system. Remember to refer to the respective command’s man pages for more options and details.