Introduction
. . \`-"'"-'/ } 6 6 { ==. Y ,== /^^^\ . / \ ) ( )-( )/ _ -""---""--- / / Ncat \_/ ( ____ \_.=|____ENcat is a feature-packed networking utility which reads andwrites data across networks from the command line. Ncat was writtenfor the Nmap Project as a much-improved reimplementation of thevenerableNetcat. It usesboth TCP and UDP for communication and is designed to be a reliableback-end tool to instantly provide network connectivity to otherapplications and users. Ncat will not only work with IPv4 and IPv6 butprovides the user with a virtually limitless number of potential uses.
Among Ncat’s vast number of features there is the ability to chainNcats together, redirect both TCP and UDP ports to other sites, SSLsupport, and proxy connections via SOCKS4 or HTTP (CONNECT method)proxies (with optional proxy authentication as well). Some generalprinciples apply to most applications and thus give you the capabilityof instantly adding networking support to software that would normallynever support it.
Ncat is integrated with Nmap and is available in the standard Nmapdownload packages (including source code and Linux, Windows, and Macbinaries) available fromtheNmap download page.You can also find it inourSVNsource code repository.
Many users have asked for a statically compiled version of ncat.exe that they can just drop on a Windows system and use without having to run any installer or copy over extra library files. We have built a statically compiled Windows binary version of Ncat 5.59BETA1. You can download it inside a zip filehere. To ensure the file hasn't been tampered with, you can check thecryptographic signatures. If you need a portable version of a newer Ncat release, see theNcat portable compilation instructions.
TheNcat Users' Guide contains fulldocumentation including many tips, tricks, and practical real-life examples! There is also anNcat man page for a quick usage summary.