# vnStat

vnStat is a lightweight (command line) network traffic monitor. It monitors selectable interfaces and stores network traffic logs in a database for later analysis.

## Installation

Install vnstat from the official repositories.

## Configuration

Pick a preferred network interface and edit the `Interface` variable in the `/etc/vnstat.conf` accordingly. To the list all interfaces available to vnstat, use `vnstat --iflist`.

To start monitoring a particular interface you must initialize a database first. Each interface needs its own database. The command to initialize one for the `eth0` interface is:

    # vnstat -u -i eth0

### Start Systemd Service

After introducing the interface(s) and checking the config file. You can start the monitoring process via systemd

    # systemctl start vnstat.service

To make this service permanent use

    # systemctl enable vnstat.service

## Usage

Query the network traffic:

    # vnstat -q

Viewing live network traffic usage:

    # vnstat -l

To find more options, use:

    # vnstat --help

Category:

- Networking