Which command-line tool displays active network connections, listening ports, and routing table information?

Which command-line tool displays active network connections, listening ports, and routing table information?

• A. Ping
• B. Netstat
• C. Ifconfig
• D. Ip Addr Show

Answer: (B)

This question tests knowing how to view a host’s current network state from the command line. Netstat is the tool that reports active TCP/UDP connections, listening ports, and the routing table all in one view. For example, netstat -a shows both established connections and sockets waiting to accept connections, while netstat -r displays the routing table; adding -n shows numeric addresses for faster output. This makes netstat the best fit for quickly assessing which services are connected or listening and how traffic is being routed, unlike Ping (which only checks reachability to a host) or Ifconfig / ip addr show (which focus on interface configurations and IP addresses rather than current connections and routes).

This question tests knowing how to view a host’s current network state from the command line. Netstat is the tool that reports active TCP/UDP connections, listening ports, and the routing table all in one view. For example, netstat -a shows both established connections and sockets waiting to accept connections, while netstat -r displays the routing table; adding -n shows numeric addresses for faster output. This makes netstat the best fit for quickly assessing which services are connected or listening and how traffic is being routed, unlike Ping (which only checks reachability to a host) or Ifconfig / ip addr show (which focus on interface configurations and IP addresses rather than current connections and routes).