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nc — Redirect I/O into a network stream through this versatile tool. More information: <https://manned.or

Submitted by: @import:tldr-pages·Mar 2, 2026·

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Problem

How to use the nc command: Redirect I/O into a network stream through this versatile tool. More information: <https://manned.org/nc>.

Solution

nc — Redirect I/O into a network stream through this versatile tool. More information: <https://manned.org/nc>.

Start a [l]istener on the specified TCP [p]ort and send a file into it:

nc < {{filename}} -l -p {{port}}

Connect to a target listener on the specified port and receive a file from it:

nc {{host}} {{port}} > {{received_filename}}

Scan the open TCP ports of a specified host:

nc -v -z -w {{timeout_in_seconds}} {{host}} {{start_port}}-{{end_port}}

Start a [l]istener on the specified TCP [p]ort and provide your local shell access to the connected party (this is dangerous and can be abused):

nc -l -p {{port}} -e {{shell_executable}}

Connect to a target listener and provide your local shell access to the remote party (this is dangerous and can be abused):

nc {{host}} {{port}} -e {{shell_executable}}

Act as a proxy and forward data from a local TCP port to the given remote host:

nc -l -p {{local_port}} | nc {{host}} {{remote_port}}

Send an HTTP GET request:

echo -e "GET / HTTP/1.1\nHost: {{host}}\n\n" | nc {{host}} 80

Code Snippets

Start a [l]istener on the specified TCP [p]ort and send a file into it

nc < {{filename}} -l -p {{port}}

Connect to a target listener on the specified port and receive a file from it

nc {{host}} {{port}} > {{received_filename}}

Scan the open TCP ports of a specified host

nc -v -z -w {{timeout_in_seconds}} {{host}} {{start_port}}-{{end_port}}

Start a [l]istener on the specified TCP [p]ort and provide your local shell access to the connected party (this is dangerous and can be abused)

nc -l -p {{port}} -e {{shell_executable}}

Connect to a target listener and provide your local shell access to the remote party (this is dangerous and can be abused)

nc {{host}} {{port}} -e {{shell_executable}}

Context

tldr-pages: common/nc

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