Wireshark inspects captured network packets and protocol fields. It is useful when you need to understand a bounded exchange, identify endpoints or test a hypothesis about message framing. Keep the capture origin, time window and permissions with the analysis. A packet trace covers the traffic that was actually recorded; encryption and missing sessions limit what it can show.
Start with the capture
Identify the capture format, interfaces and time range. Filter toward one conversation before interpreting field values. Record when packets were dropped or when the capture began after a handshake.
Privacy and interpretation
Captures can contain credentials and personal information. Use controlled samples and avoid sharing raw traffic unnecessarily. A decoded protocol label is a tool interpretation that may need validation against bytes and protocol documentation.
Requirements & evidence
- Resource type
- Tool
- Category
- Protocols
- Host platforms
- Windows, Linux, macOS
- Targets
- network
- Level
- Unknown
- Price / availability
- Unknown
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Interface
- GUI and CLI
- Input formats
- Unknown
- Architectures
- Unknown
- REA integration
- Unknown
- MCP support
- Unknown
- Maintenance
- Unknown
- Repository activity
- 2026-11-02T16:35:47Z
- Archived
- No
- Source checked
- 2026-11-03T04:27:32.098302+00:00
Repository: Official repository
Primary sources
- https://api.github.com/repos/wireshark/wireshark
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wireshark/wireshark/master/README.md
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wireshark/wireshark/master/COPYING
Source descriptions establish documented scope. They do not establish that every workflow has been reproduced by AI Craft Pad.