PF_RING
PF_RING is a high-performance packet capture and processing library for Linux that bypasses the standard kernel networking stack to achieve low-latency and high-throughput packet handling. It provides a framework for building network monitoring, intrusion detection, and traffic analysis applications by allowing direct access to network packets from user space. The tool is widely used in scenarios requiring real-time packet processing at line rates, such as in network security and performance monitoring.
Developers should learn and use PF_RING when building applications that require efficient packet capture at high speeds, such as network intrusion detection systems (NIDS), traffic analyzers, or custom monitoring tools where standard libpcap performance is insufficient. It is particularly valuable in environments with high-bandwidth networks, such as data centers or ISP backbones, to minimize packet loss and latency during real-time analysis.