Install vnStat network traffic monitor on Rocky Linux

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This guide is going to take you through on how to Install vnStat network traffic monitor on Rocky Linux. vnStat is a network tool for the Linux operating system that monitors network traffic using a command line interface, or console. vnStat keeps a track of network traffic for the selected interfaces on an hourly, daily, and monthly basis.

How to Install vnStat network traffic monitor on Rocky Linux

  • Update yum database with dnf using the following command.
sudo dnf makecache --refresh
  • Next Install vnStat network traffic monitor on Rocky Linux.
sudo dnf -y install vnstat

Sample output

Last metadata expiration check: 0:00:01 ago on Thu 28 Apr 2022 11:34:25 PM EAT.
Dependencies resolved.
================================================================
 Package       Architecture  Version          Repository   Size
================================================================
Installing:
 vnstat        x86_64        2.6-2.el8        epel        154 k

Transaction Summary
================================================================
Install  1 Package

Total download size: 154 k
Installed size: 528 k
Downloading Packages:
vnstat-2.6-2.el8.x86_64.rpm      18 kB/s | 154 kB     00:08    
----------------------------------------------------------------
Total                            14 kB/s | 154 kB     00:11     
Running transaction check
Transaction check succeeded.
Running transaction test
Transaction test succeeded.
Running transaction
  Preparing        :                                        1/1 
  Running scriptlet: vnstat-2.6-2.el8.x86_64                1/1 
  Installing       : vnstat-2.6-2.el8.x86_64                1/1 
  Running scriptlet: vnstat-2.6-2.el8.x86_64                1/1 
  Verifying        : vnstat-2.6-2.el8.x86_64                1/1 

Installed:
  vnstat-2.6-2.el8.x86_64                                       

Complete!

Configure vnStat on Rocky Linux

  • Check your interface name by running the command below.
ip l show

Sample output

1: lo:  mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
    link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
2: ens160:  mtu 1500 qdisc mq state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
    link/ether 00:0c:29:8a:47:48 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
  • Provide the name of the interface you wish to monitor in the vnstat config file. To open the file, type the command below.
sudo nano /etc/vnstat.conf
  • Type in the name of your interface. Replace ‘ens160’ with the name of your interface, save, and close the file.
Interface "ens160"
  • Restart vnStat for changes to take effect.
sudo systemctl restart vnstat
  • vnStat should be running, check status.
sudo systemctl status vnstat.service

Sample output

● vnstat.service - vnStat network traffic monitor
   Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/vnstat.service; disabled; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: active (running) since Thu 2022-04-28 23:47:09 EAT; 12s ago
     Docs: man:vnstatd(8)
           man:vnstat(1)
           man:vnstat.conf(5)
 Main PID: 5272 (vnstatd)
    Tasks: 1 (limit: 23385)
   Memory: 1012.0K
   CGroup: /system.slice/vnstat.service
           └─5272 /usr/sbin/vnstatd -n

Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain systemd[1]: Started vnStat network traffic monitor.
Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain vnstatd[5272]: No interfaces found in database, adding available interfaces...
Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain vnstatd[5272]: Interface "ens160" added with 10000 Mbit bandwidth limit.
Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain vnstatd[5272]: Interface "virbr0" added with 1000 Mbit bandwidth limit.
Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain vnstatd[5272]: Interface "virbr0-nic" added with 1000 Mbit bandwidth limit.
Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain vnstatd[5272]: -> 3 new interfaces found.
Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain vnstatd[5272]: Limits can be modified using the configuration file. See "man vnstat.conf".
Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain vnstatd[5272]: Unwanted interfaces can be removed from monitoring with "vnstat --remove".
Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain vnstatd[5272]: Info: vnStat daemon 2.6 started. (pid:5272 uid:974 gid:974 64-bit)
Apr 28 23:47:09 localhost.localdomain vnstatd[5272]: Info: Monitoring (3): virbr0-nic (1000 Mbit) virbr0 (1000 Mbit) ens160 (10000 Mbit)

View Network Traffic on Rocky Linux

  • View live network traffic using the following command. Replace ens160 with the name of your interface.
vnstat -i ens160 -l

Sample output

Monitoring ens160...    (press CTRL-C to stop)

   rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s      rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s      rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s      rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:       360 bit/s      rx:       752 bit/s     1 p/s          tx:       360 bit/s      rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s      rx:     1.17 kbit/s     1 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s      rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s      rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s      rx:     6.19 kbit/s     6 p/s          tx:     6.15 kbit/s      rx:    16.80 kbit/s     7 p/s          tx:    40.61 kbit/s      rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s      rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s      rx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s          tx:         0 bit/s     0 p/s^C


 ens160  /  traffic statistics

                           rx         |       tx
--------------------------------------+------------------
  bytes                     6.08 KiB  |       11.59 KiB
--------------------------------------+------------------
          max           16.80 kbit/s  |    40.61 kbit/s
      average            1.72 kbit/s  |     3.27 kbit/s
          min                0 bit/s  |         0 bit/s
--------------------------------------+------------------
  packets                         32  |              24
--------------------------------------+------------------
          max                  7 p/s  |           5 p/s
      average                  1 p/s  |           0 p/s
          min                  0 p/s  |           0 p/s
--------------------------------------+------------------
  time                    29 seconds
  • Use the command below to view hourly traffic.
vnstat -h

Sample output

ens160  /  hourly

         hour        rx      |     tx      |    total    |   avg. rate
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     2022-04-28
         23:00    539.26 KiB |  300.17 KiB |  839.43 KiB |    2.19 kbit/s
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
  • View daily network traffic.
vnstat -d

Sample output

ens160  /  daily

          day        rx      |     tx      |    total    |   avg. rate
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     2022-04-28   539.26 KiB |  300.17 KiB |  839.43 KiB |       80 bit/s
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     estimated       541 KiB |     301 KiB |     842 KiB |
  • View the Monthly Traffic Report using the following command.
vnstat -m

Sample output

ens160  /  monthly

        month        rx      |     tx      |    total    |   avg. rate
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
       2022-04    539.26 KiB |  300.17 KiB |  839.43 KiB |        2 bit/s
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     estimated       --      |     --      |     --      |
  • View Month Traffic Report using the command below .
vnstat --help
  • You have reached the end of our article, congrats! You have learned how to Install vnStat network traffic monitor on Rocky Linux.

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