Alternatives to socat

Multipurpose relay that connects almost any two data channels. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as socat.

  • netcat

    The original TCP and UDP swiss army knife.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    netcat is a smaller, simpler TCP and UDP tool available on almost every Unix system, but lacks socat's TLS, serial support and forking server options.

  • websocat

    A command-line WebSocket client and server, like netcat or curl for ws:// with socat-style features.

    FreeOpen sourceCommand line

    websocat offers socat-style bridging focused on WebSockets, useful for ws:// endpoints in scripts, rather than connecting arbitrary channel types.

  • Packet Sender

    A utility for sending and receiving TCP, UDP, SSL and DTLS packets to test network services.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    Packet Sender sends and receives TCP, UDP, SSL and DTLS with a graphical interface and CLI on Windows, macOS and Linux, but is not a general relay.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.