---
title: sping — Network analysis and diagnostics
date: 2026-10-18
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: Network management tool that visualizes network connection status in real-time graphs and provides automatic diagnostics.
tags: program, Network Analysis and Diagnostics, sping
---

Network management tool that visualizes network connectivity status in graph form and provides automatic diagnostics.

## Basic Information

| Program name | sping |
| --- | --- |
| One-line introduction | Network management tool that visualizes network connectivity status in graph form and provides automatic diagnostics. |
| Developed / maintained by | sping contributors |
| Official website | https://sping.dev/ |
| Official documentation | https://sping.dev/docs/ |
| Official downloads | https://sping.dev/downloads |
| Supported operating systems | Linux, macOS |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Stable version | 1.4.0 (released 2026-10-01) — checked 2026-10-18 |
| GitHub repository | https://github.com/LambdaBytes/sping |
| Category | Network analysis and diagnostics (Tags: network, diagnostics, graph, monitoring, connectivity) |

## What is this program?

sping is a network management tool that checks connectivity to multiple target hosts in real time and visualizes the results as a node-edge graph. It runs ping, traceroute, and DNS lookups in parallel with a single command to show the status of entire network paths at a glance.

In addition to simple reachability, it shows latency, packet loss rate, and path changes in the graph, and automatically diagnoses candidate causes when problems occur in a specific segment. It is used for server fleet management, firewall rule validation, and network failure analysis.

## What problems does it solve?

- ('For network failure response', 'when you need to quickly check connectivity to multiple targets', 'you can generate a graph for all targets with a single command and immediately identify problem points.')
- ('For network change validation', 'when checking connectivity after firewall or routing changes', 'you can compare graphs before and after changes to identify affected targets.')
- ('For continuous monitoring', 'when you need to track network path changes', 'you can record graph changes over time to analyze path variation patterns.')
## Key Features

### Connection graph visualization

Displays ping and traceroute results for multiple targets as a node-edge graph

- **Use case**: When checking connectivity to multiple targets at a glance
- **Result**: Problem segments are immediately highlighted in the graph
- **Limitations**: If the number of targets exceeds several hundred, the graph can become complex.
### Automatic diagnostics

Automatically analyzes candidate causes step by step across DNS, routing, and firewall when a connection fails

- **Use case**: When you need to quickly narrow down the cause of a failure
- **Result**: Reduces manual diagnostic steps and shortens response time
- **Limitations**: Automatic diagnostics are for reference only; final verification is still required.
### Path change tracking

Stores and compares traceroute results over time

- **Use case**: In environments where network paths change frequently
- **Result**: Identify path change patterns and correlations
- **Limitations**: Log size management is needed for long-term retention.
### Parallel checks

Checks dozens to hundreds of targets simultaneously

- **Use case**: Large-scale fleet connectivity checks
- **Result**: Reduces check time from minutes to seconds
- **Limitations**: Excessive parallel checks can put load on target servers.
## Installation and execution

### Linux (binary)

Download the official binary and add it to your PATH.

```
curl -fsSL https://sping.dev/install.sh | sh
sping --version
```

### Linux (source build)

Build from source with Go 1.22 or later.

```
git clone https://github.com/sping-dev/sping
cd sping
go build -o sping ./cmd/sping
sudo mv sping /usr/local/bin/
```

### macOS

Use Homebrew or build from source.

```
brew install sping
```

## Real-world usage examples

### Basic connectivity check

Specify multiple targets to generate a graph. The default interval is 2 seconds.

```
$ sping --targets web1.example.com,web2.example.com,api.example.com

[graph] web1.example.com ── OK (12ms)
[graph] web2.example.com ── OK (34ms)
[graph] api.example.com  ── TIMEOUT (packet loss 100%)
```

### Run automatic diagnostics

Runs step-by-step diagnostics for failed targets.

```
$ sping --targets api.example.com --diagnose

[diag] DNS resolve ... OK (192.0.2.50)
[diag] ICMP echo    ... FAIL (firewall suspected)
[diag] TCP 443      ... OK (TLS handshake OK)
[diag] Diagnosis result: ICMP blocked, HTTPS normal — firewall rule check required
```

### Export graph

Save graphs as PNG/JSON for use in reports.

```
$ sping --targets fleet.txt --export graph.png --export-json graph.json
# graph.png, graph.json saved
```

## Advantages and limitations

### Advantages

- Visualizes connectivity to multiple targets with a single command
- Automatic DNS, routing, and firewall step-by-step diagnosis on failure
- Parallel checks reduce large-scale fleet check time
- Easy report and automation integration via PNG/JSON export
### Considerations before use

- The GUI graph viewer is provided as a separate package (sping-viewer) and requires additional installation.
- ICMP-based checks may be blocked by some firewalls and may require a TCP fallback.
- Be aware of target server load from excessive parallel checks in large-scale fleets.
## Comparison with similar programs

| Program | Features | Best suited for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| mtr | Terminal-based path tracing with integrated latency/loss display | Simple path tracing and single-target diagnostics |
| nmap | Focused on port scanning and service discovery | When discovering ports and services is the main goal |
| Zabbix / Nagios | Comprehensive infrastructure monitoring platform | Professional monitoring requiring metric collection, alerts, and dashboards |

## Official resources and further learning

- [Official website](https://sping.dev/) — https://sping.dev/
- [Official documentation / knowledge base](https://sping.dev/docs/) — https://sping.dev/docs/
- [Official downloads](https://sping.dev/downloads) — https://sping.dev/downloads
- [Release notes](https://sping.dev/changelog) — https://sping.dev/changelog
- [Source / development resources](https://github.com/LambdaBytes/sping) — https://github.com/LambdaBytes/sping
Version and supported environment information is from the official site as of 2026-10-18. Installation commands may vary depending on your distribution and version, so check the official installation documentation as well.

## Actual execution screenshot

The screen below is a synthetic example created to help understand the usage flow (not an actual execution result). This screen is a synthetic example and not an actual execution result.

![sping connection graph example: all 3 targets OK, average latency 21.7ms, PNG export complete](https://games.aidebatehub.com/assets/sping-demo.png)

Production server

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/apps/network/sping.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.