Mastering traceroute on Linux: Install, Use, and Advanced Options

In Linux, traceroute is a network diagnostic tool used to determine the route packets take from your computer to a target host such as a website or remote server.

Debian/Ubuntu and derivatives

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install traceroute

CentOS/RHEL and derivatives

sudo yum install traceroute

On newer CentOS/RHEL versions you may need to use dnf instead of yum:

sudo dnf install traceroute

Basic command format

traceroute [options]... [target host]

Basic usage example

Trace the route to example.com:

traceroute example.com

Common options

-n

: Do not perform DNS lookups, show IP addresses only. -w: Set the timeout in seconds. -p: Specify the destination port (default 33434). -m: Set the maximum number of hops (default 30). -s: Set the source port number. -I: Use ICMP packets. -4 or -6: Force IPv4 or IPv6. -q: Set the number of probe packets per hop (default 3). -T: Use TCP for tracing. -A: Use all protocols (UDP, TCP, ICMP).

Advanced options

-P proto

: Choose protocol (tcp, udp, icmp, ip). -S srcaddr: Set source address of packets. -g gateway: Specify a gateway to skip. -N: Use NTP mode for time queries. -F: Set the "Don't Fragment" flag to control MTU.

Examples

Do not resolve DNS, show IPs only:

traceroute -n example.com

Use ICMP protocol:

traceroute -I example.com

Set maximum hops to 20:

traceroute -m 20 example.com

Use TCP protocol:

traceroute -T example.com

Use all protocols:

traceroute -A example.com

Send 5 probe packets per hop:

traceroute -q 5 example.com

Set timeout to 10 seconds:

traceroute -w 10 example.com

Precautions

Some network devices may block traceroute packets, resulting in incomplete or inaccurate paths.

Use traceroute in compliance with network policies and legal regulations to avoid misuse.

On certain Linux distributions, traceroute may require root privileges to run. traceroute is an essential tool for network troubleshooting and performance analysis, helping to locate where latency or packet loss occurs.