Angry IP Scanner
Angry IP Scanner is a free, open-source network scanner designed for speed and simplicity. It quickly scans IP addresses and ports across any range, making it an essential tool for network administrators and users needing to discover devices on their network.
Anton Keks
License
Open SourcePlatforms
About Angry IP Scanner
Angry IP Scanner is a lightweight yet powerful network scanning utility that stands out for its speed and intuitive interface. Designed with efficiency in mind, it leverages a multi-threaded scanning approach, allowing it to check multiple IP addresses and ports simultaneously. This makes it significantly faster than many traditional scanning tools, especially when dealing with large network segments.
The software's core functionality revolves around its ability to ping IP addresses to check for host liveness, resolve hostnames, and scan for open ports. However, its capabilities are highly extensible through the use of plugins. Users can develop or utilize plugins to gather additional information about scanned hosts, such as MAC addresses, NetBIOS information, or even custom data relevant to their specific needs.
Key Features:
Angry IP Scanner is particularly valued by network administrators for its ability to quickly inventory network devices, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and identify potential security vulnerabilities by scanning for open ports. Its simplicity and portability also make it a great tool for casual users who need to understand their home network or connect to devices like printers or media servers. The open-source nature fostering a community of developers who contribute plugins and improvements further enhances its value and adaptability.
The software's core functionality revolves around its ability to ping IP addresses to check for host liveness, resolve hostnames, and scan for open ports. However, its capabilities are highly extensible through the use of plugins. Users can develop or utilize plugins to gather additional information about scanned hosts, such as MAC addresses, NetBIOS information, or even custom data relevant to their specific needs.
Key Features:
- Fast Scanning: Utilizes multi-threaded scanning for high performance.
- Extensible via Plugins: Customize information gathering with a wide range of plugins.
- Portable: Available as a portable application, no installation required.
- Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Open Source: Free to use, modify, and distribute.
- Various Output Formats: Export scan results to CSV, TXT, XML, and other formats.
Angry IP Scanner is particularly valued by network administrators for its ability to quickly inventory network devices, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and identify potential security vulnerabilities by scanning for open ports. Its simplicity and portability also make it a great tool for casual users who need to understand their home network or connect to devices like printers or media servers. The open-source nature fostering a community of developers who contribute plugins and improvements further enhances its value and adaptability.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Extremely fast scanning speed due to multi-threading.
- Highly extensible through a rich plugin architecture.
- Excellent portability; no installation required.
- Free and open-source with cross-platform support.
- Simple and intuitive user interface.
Cons
- Basic interface compared to some modern applications.
- Primarily focused on initial discovery and port scanning, not continuous monitoring.
- Relies on community-developed plugins for some advanced information gathering.
What Makes Angry IP Scanner Stand Out
Exceptional Speed
Utilizes multi-threading for significantly faster scanning compared to many other free network scanners.
Plugin Extensibility
Highly customizable through a robust plugin architecture, allowing users to tailor the information gathered to their specific requirements.
True Portability
Runs without installation, making it ideal for network troubleshooting on various machines without leaving traces.
Features & Capabilities
10 featuresExpert Review
Angry IP Scanner is a widely recognized and highly effective tool for network scanning. Its primary appeal lies in its speed and simplicity, making it accessible to both novice users and seasoned network professionals. The software's user interface is straightforward, presenting scan results in a clear and organized table.
The core function of scanning IP ranges and individual hosts for liveness and open ports is executed rapidly due to its multi-threaded design. This is arguably its strongest point, allowing for quick network inventories or troubleshooting without significant delays.
One of the outstanding features is the plugin system. This architecture allows the scanner to be more than just a basic pinger and port scanner. By adding relevant plugins, users can gather a wealth of additional information, such as:
This extensibility significantly boosts the utility of the software for diverse tasks, from asset management to security assessments. The fact that it is open source is a significant advantage, promoting trust, transparency, and allowing a community to contribute to its development and create new plugins.
Portability is another key benefit. The ability to run the application directly from a USB drive without installation means it can be used on numerous machines without altering their system configurations, which is invaluable for IT support and field work.
Cross-platform support ensures that users on Windows, macOS, and Linux can all leverage the same powerful tool, promoting consistency in network management across mixed environments.
While its core functionality is robust, it is important to note that Angry IP Scanner is primarily a discovery and information gathering tool at the network level (Layer 3 and 4). It is not a full-fledged security scanner like Nessus or Nmap (though it shares some overlap in port scanning), nor is it a continuous network monitoring system like Zabbix or Nagios.
The interface, while simple and functional, might feel a bit dated compared to more modern applications. However, its focus remains firmly on performance and utility over aesthetics. The learning curve is minimal, and most users can begin scanning effectively within minutes of launching the application.
For users who require more advanced network analysis features or persistent monitoring, Angry IP Scanner might need to be integrated with other tools. However, as a fast, reliable, and versatile IP and port scanner with excellent extensibility, it holds a strong position in the domain of network utilities.
In conclusion, Angry IP Scanner is an excellent, free, and open-source tool that delivers on its promise of fast and flexible network scanning. Its speed, portability, cross-platform compatibility, and powerful plugin system make it an indispensable asset for anyone managing or troubleshooting networks. Its simplicity ensures it a great starting point for network newcomers while its extensibility provides depth for power users.
The core function of scanning IP ranges and individual hosts for liveness and open ports is executed rapidly due to its multi-threaded design. This is arguably its strongest point, allowing for quick network inventories or troubleshooting without significant delays.
One of the outstanding features is the plugin system. This architecture allows the scanner to be more than just a basic pinger and port scanner. By adding relevant plugins, users can gather a wealth of additional information, such as:
- Operating System detection (though reliability can vary)
- MAC Address retrieval
- NetBIOS information
- Custom checks via scripting plugins
This extensibility significantly boosts the utility of the software for diverse tasks, from asset management to security assessments. The fact that it is open source is a significant advantage, promoting trust, transparency, and allowing a community to contribute to its development and create new plugins.
Portability is another key benefit. The ability to run the application directly from a USB drive without installation means it can be used on numerous machines without altering their system configurations, which is invaluable for IT support and field work.
Cross-platform support ensures that users on Windows, macOS, and Linux can all leverage the same powerful tool, promoting consistency in network management across mixed environments.
While its core functionality is robust, it is important to note that Angry IP Scanner is primarily a discovery and information gathering tool at the network level (Layer 3 and 4). It is not a full-fledged security scanner like Nessus or Nmap (though it shares some overlap in port scanning), nor is it a continuous network monitoring system like Zabbix or Nagios.
The interface, while simple and functional, might feel a bit dated compared to more modern applications. However, its focus remains firmly on performance and utility over aesthetics. The learning curve is minimal, and most users can begin scanning effectively within minutes of launching the application.
For users who require more advanced network analysis features or persistent monitoring, Angry IP Scanner might need to be integrated with other tools. However, as a fast, reliable, and versatile IP and port scanner with excellent extensibility, it holds a strong position in the domain of network utilities.
In conclusion, Angry IP Scanner is an excellent, free, and open-source tool that delivers on its promise of fast and flexible network scanning. Its speed, portability, cross-platform compatibility, and powerful plugin system make it an indispensable asset for anyone managing or troubleshooting networks. Its simplicity ensures it a great starting point for network newcomers while its extensibility provides depth for power users.
