Preface 🎨
Wireshark is the #1 open-source tool when it comes to capturing packets on the network. Once packets are captured, it is then saved as a pcap or pcapng file. However, when sharing this packet capture file with others, they need Wireshark or another pcap viewing software to open and view said network capture file.
In many environments, due to organizational constraints or lack of administrator access, it is not always possible to download and install such software. Thus, having an online packet viewer would be highly beneficial in this case.
What we've built 💡
We've built a completely client-side online packet viewer (try it out at https://radiantly.github.io/Wireview/). At first glance, the interface may seem non-modern and boring, but existing users of Wireshark will feel right at home. It has been carefully crafted to mimic the Wireshark UI, removing the need to learn yet another set of controls. The front-end has -been coded in Vue.js, with certain optimizations to make the experience feel quick and snappy. The back-end is powered by WireShark, compiled to WebAssembly. For technical details, check out the readme in the linked GitHub repository.
Are there existing alternatives? 📈
If you were to google for "packet viewer", you'd find the following among the top results. Unfortunately, none are open source and may require the packet capture file to be sent to a 3rd party server.
A-Packets - Closed-source, non-local
DynamiteLab - Closed-source, non-local
GT Packet Dissector - Closed-source
GigaSheet - Closed-source, non-local
License 📃
This project is licensed under GPLv2, same as the Wireshark project.
