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Dev tools · June 2, 2025

AT

A toy version of Wireshark (student project)

Hi everyone, I recently published a small open-source project. It’s a minimal network packet analyzer written in Go — designed more like a learning toy than a replacement for Wireshark. It currently supports parsing basic protocols like TLS, DNS, and HTTP, and includes a tiny fuzzing engine to test payload responses. You can inspect raw packet content directly from the terminal. The output is colored for readability, and the code structure is kept simple and clear. The entire program is very small — just about 400 lines of Go code. I know it’s not anywhere near Wireshark’s level, and I still…

In plain words

This is a minimal network packet analyzer written in Go, designed as an educational tool rather than a Wireshark replacement. It parses basic protocols including TLS, DNS, and HTTP, with a small fuzzing engine for testing payload responses. Users can inspect raw packet content directly from the terminal with color-coded output for readability. Written as a learning project in just 400 lines of Go code, it is intended for developers interested in understanding network protocols and packet analysis fundamentals.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

In the maker’s words, at launch

Hi everyone, I recently published a small open-source project. It’s a minimal network packet analyzer written in Go — designed more like a learning toy than a replacement for Wireshark. It currently supports parsing basic protocols like TLS, DNS, and HTTP, and includes a tiny fuzzing engine to test payload responses. You can inspect raw packet content directly from the terminal. The output is colored for readability, and the code structure is kept simple and clear. The entire program is very small — just about 400 lines of Go code. I know it’s not anywhere near Wireshark’s level, and I still use Wireshark myself for real-world analysis. But I built it as a personal experiment in network parsing and to understand protocol behavior more directly. If you're curious or would like to try it out, the project is here: https://github.com/lixiasky/vanta I'm happy to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or critiques. It’s just a little network toy, but maybe someone out there finds it useful or fun. Thanks for reading!

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