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NetUtil - Network Interface Manager

A cross-platform Terminal User Interface (TUI) application for managing network interfaces on macOS, Linux, and Arch Linux. Built with Rust, using ratatui for the UI and crossterm for terminal handling.

Features

Interface Management

  • Interface Discovery: Automatically detects all network interfaces on your system
  • Interface Type Detection: Identifies Ethernet, WiFi, Loopback, Bridge, Virtual, and Tunnel/VPN interfaces
  • WiFi Information: Displays SSID for connected WiFi interfaces
  • Detailed Information: View IP addresses (IPv4 and IPv6), MAC addresses, subnet masks, and interface status
  • DNS Configuration: Display and edit system DNS servers and search domains
  • DNS Cache Flush: Clear system DNS cache with Ctrl+f (requires sudo)
  • Detailed View: Press i to see comprehensive details for the selected interface

Network Configuration (requires sudo)

  • DHCP/Static IP: Toggle between DHCP and static IP configuration
  • IPv4 Configuration: Set static IP addresses, netmasks, and gateways
  • IPv6 Support: Enable/disable IPv6, configure static IPv6 addresses
  • DNS Management: Add, edit, and remove multiple DNS servers and search domains
  • Interface Control: Enable/disable network interfaces

User Interface

  • Sortable Table: Sort by any column (interface name, type, IP address, MAC address, subnet mask, DNS servers, status)
  • Search & Filter: Case-insensitive search across interface names, types, IP addresses, and MAC addresses
  • Pagination: Navigate large numbers of interfaces with keyboard shortcuts
  • Clipboard Support: Copy interface details to clipboard
  • Confirmation Dialogs: All configuration changes require confirmation before execution
  • Integrated Terminal: Execute network commands (ping, traceroute, etc.) without leaving the app
  • Help Menu: Comprehensive keyboard shortcuts and usage guide

Requirements

  • Rust 1.70 or later (for building)
  • macOS, Linux, or Arch Linux
  • sudo privileges (for modifying network configuration)

Installation

Building from Source

  1. Install Rust if you haven't already:
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
  1. Clone or navigate to the project directory:
cd /path/to/netutil
  1. Build the project:
cargo build --release
  1. The binary will be available at target/release/netutil-tui

Running

# Run directly with cargo
cargo run --release

# Or run the binary
./target/release/netutil-tui

# For network configuration changes, run with sudo
sudo ./target/release/netutil-tui

Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigation

  • ↑ or k - Move up
  • ↓ or j - Move down
  • PgUp or Ctrl+u - Previous page
  • PgDn or Ctrl+d - Next page
  • Home or g - Go to first item
  • End or G - Go to last item

Viewing

  • i - Show detailed interface information
  • r - Refresh interface data
  • s - Cycle sort column forward
  • S - Cycle sort column backward
  • / - Enter search mode
  • ? - Show help menu

Network Configuration (requires sudo)

  • e - Edit IP configuration (DHCP/Static)
  • d - Edit DNS servers and search domains
  • 6 - Edit IPv6 settings
  • t - Toggle interface up/down

Clipboard Operations

  • c - Copy selected interface name
  • Ctrl+i - Copy IP address
  • Ctrl+m - Copy MAC address

DNS Tools

  • Ctrl+f - Flush DNS cache (requires sudo)

Terminal

  • x - Open integrated terminal
  • In terminal mode:
    • Type commands and press Enter to execute
    • ↑/↓ - Scroll through output
    • Ctrl+l - Clear terminal
    • Esc - Exit terminal

Other

  • q - Quit application
  • Esc - Cancel current operation/clear search
  • Tab - Navigate between fields in edit modes
  • Enter - Confirm action
  • Space - Toggle options in edit modes

Detailed Features

IP Configuration

When you press e to edit IP configuration, you can:

  1. Toggle between DHCP and Static mode using Space
  2. In Static mode, enter:
    • IP Address
    • Netmask
    • Gateway (optional)
  3. Use Tab to move between fields
  4. Press Enter to apply changes
  5. Confirm the action in the dialog

DNS Configuration

When you press d to edit DNS configuration, you can:

  1. Add multiple DNS servers
  2. Add search domains
  3. Navigate with ↑/↓ arrows
  4. Press a to add a new entry
  5. Press x to delete the selected entry
  6. Press Ctrl+s to save changes
  7. Confirm the action in the dialog

IPv6 Configuration

When you press 6 to edit IPv6 configuration, you can:

  1. Toggle IPv6 on/off using Space
  2. If enabled, optionally set a static IPv6 address
  3. Set the prefix length (default: 64)
  4. Leave address empty for SLAAC (automatic configuration)
  5. Press Enter to apply changes
  6. Confirm the action in the dialog

Detailed View

Press i on any interface to see:

  • Interface name and type
  • Status (UP/DOWN)
  • MAC address
  • WiFi SSID (for WiFi interfaces)
  • MTU
  • All IP addresses (IPv4 and IPv6) with netmasks and broadcast addresses
  • All DNS servers
  • Search domains

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS

  • Uses ifconfig for interface details
  • Uses scutil --dns for DNS configuration
  • Uses networksetup for configuration changes and WiFi detection
  • Uses airport command for WiFi SSID detection
  • DNS cache flush uses dscacheutil and mDNSResponder
  • Network modifications require sudo privileges

Linux

  • Uses /sys/class/net for MAC addresses and WiFi detection
  • Uses iwgetid or iw for WiFi SSID detection
  • Supports both systemd-resolved and /etc/resolv.conf for DNS
  • DNS cache flush supports resolvectl, systemd-resolve, nscd, and dnsmasq
  • Uses ip command for network configuration
  • Uses sysctl for IPv6 enable/disable
  • Network modifications require sudo privileges

Arch Linux

  • Same as Linux
  • Ensure iproute2 package is installed for network configuration

Architecture

The application is structured into several modules:

  • main.rs - Entry point and terminal setup
  • app.rs - Application state and logic
  • models.rs - Data structures for network interfaces and configuration
  • network.rs - System-specific network interface detection
  • sudo.rs - Sudo command execution for network configuration
  • ui.rs - UI rendering with ratatui
  • event.rs - Keyboard event handling

Security Considerations

  • Reading network interface information does not require elevated privileges
  • All network configuration changes require sudo privileges
  • The application uses sudo -S to execute privileged commands
  • You will be prompted for your password when making configuration changes
  • All configuration changes require explicit confirmation
  • The application validates inputs before executing system commands

Examples

Setting a Static IP Address

  1. Navigate to your interface
  2. Press e to edit IP configuration
  3. Press Space to switch to Static mode
  4. Use Tab to navigate fields and enter:
    • IP: 192.168.1.100
    • Netmask: 255.255.255.0
    • Gateway: 192.168.1.1
  5. Press Enter to proceed
  6. Confirm the action when prompted
  7. Enter your sudo password when prompted

Changing DNS Servers

  1. Press d to edit DNS configuration
  2. Use ↑/↓ to navigate existing servers
  3. Press a to add a new server
  4. Type the DNS server IP (e.g., 8.8.8.8)
  5. Press Tab to switch to search domains if needed
  6. Press Ctrl+s to save
  7. Confirm the action when prompted
  8. Enter your sudo password when prompted

Disabling IPv6

  1. Navigate to your interface
  2. Press 6 to edit IPv6 configuration
  3. Press Space to toggle IPv6 off
  4. Press Enter to apply
  5. Confirm the action when prompted
  6. Enter your sudo password when prompted

Using the Terminal

  1. Press x to open the terminal
  2. Type any command, for example:
    • ping 8.8.8.8 - Test connectivity
    • traceroute google.com - Trace route to host
    • nslookup google.com - DNS lookup
    • ifconfig en0 - Show specific interface details
    • netstat -rn - Show routing table
  3. Press Enter to execute
  4. Use ↑/↓ to scroll through output
  5. Press Ctrl+l to clear the terminal
  6. Press Esc to return to main view

Note: Terminal commands run with the same privileges as the app. Use sudo prefix for commands requiring elevation.

Flushing DNS Cache

  1. Press Ctrl+f to flush the DNS cache
  2. Enter your sudo password when prompted
  3. The cache will be cleared using the appropriate method for your OS:
    • macOS: Uses dscacheutil -flushcache and restarts mDNSResponder
    • Linux: Tries resolvectl, systemd-resolve, nscd, or dnsmasq (whichever is available)
  4. A status message will confirm success or show any errors

Troubleshooting

"command not found: cargo"

Install Rust using rustup: curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

No interfaces showing

Ensure you have network interfaces configured on your system. Run ip addr (Linux) or ifconfig (macOS) to verify.

Clipboard not working

Make sure you have the necessary system clipboard libraries:

  • Linux: sudo apt-get install xclip or sudo apt-get install xsel
  • macOS: Built-in, should work out of the box

DNS servers not displaying

  • macOS: Ensure scutil is available
  • Linux: Check /etc/resolv.conf or resolvectl status

Configuration changes not working

  • Ensure you're running the application with sudo: sudo ./target/release/netutil-tui
  • Check that you have the required tools installed:
    • macOS: networksetup, ifconfig
    • Linux: ip, dhclient or dhcpcd, sysctl

Permission denied errors

All network configuration changes require sudo privileges. Make sure you:

  1. Run the application with sudo when making configuration changes
  2. Enter your password when prompted
  3. Have sudo privileges on the system

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

This project is provided as-is for educational and practical use.

Roadmap

Completed features:

  • ✅ Interface type detection (Ethernet, WiFi, VPN, etc.)
  • ✅ Detailed interface view
  • ✅ DHCP/Static IP configuration
  • ✅ Multiple DNS servers support
  • ✅ IPv6 configuration
  • ✅ IPv6 enable/disable
  • ✅ Sudo password prompt support
  • ✅ Confirmation dialogs

Future enhancements:

  • Route table viewing and editing
  • Network statistics and monitoring
  • Configuration profiles (save/load network settings)
  • Export data to JSON/CSV
  • Windows support
  • Mouse support for clicking column headers
  • Wireless network scanning and connection
  • VPN configuration support
  • Network diagnostics (ping, traceroute integration)

Changelog

Version 0.3.0 (Current)

  • Fixed WiFi interface detection on macOS - Now correctly identifies WiFi interfaces (e.g., en1)
  • Added WiFi SSID display - Shows connected network name for WiFi interfaces
  • Added DNS cache flush - Press Ctrl+f to clear DNS cache (supports macOS and Linux)
  • Updated help documentation with new features

Version 0.2.0

  • Added interface type detection
  • Added detailed interface view (press i)
  • Improved IP configuration with DHCP/Static toggle
  • Enhanced DNS configuration with multiple servers
  • Added IPv6 configuration support
  • Added IPv6 enable/disable functionality
  • Implemented sudo password prompts
  • Added confirmation dialogs for all changes
  • Added integrated terminal (press x) for running network commands
  • Updated UI with better navigation

Version 0.1.0

  • Initial release
  • Basic interface listing
  • DNS server display
  • Search and filter
  • Clipboard support
  • Basic sorting

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