What Is ss Command?

ss (socket statistics) is a modern Linux utility used to display active network connections, listening ports, and socket details.

It is designed as a faster and more informative replacement for netstat.

What Is ss Used For?

• Listing open TCP and UDP ports
• Displaying active connections and states
• Identifying which services listen on which ports
• Analyzing network-related performance or security issues

Basic ss Usage

ss -lnt

Viewing All Active Connections

ss -ant

Listing UDP Ports

ss -lun

Filtering by Port

ss -lnt sport = :80

Including Process Information

ss -lntp

When Should You Use ss?

• Checking if a service port is open
• Testing connectivity after firewall changes
• Investigating suspicious connections
• Troubleshooting network performance

Common Mistakes

• Using netstat instead of ss
• Expecting process info without root privileges
• Confusing IPv4 and IPv6 outputs

Best Practices

• Use ss as the first tool for port issues
• Combine with firewall and service checks
• Monitor connections regularly
• Integrate into monitoring scripts

From a knowledge base perspective, ss is the primary network connection analysis tool on modern Linux systems.