NetLagX

Important

I for one don't know basically anything about netowrking, so NetLagX currently may not work as it is not in a stable state and needs improvisons. If you would like to contribute, make a PR, or DM @playfairs on Discord, and I can probably add you to the Repository.

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Features

• Multiple Operation Modes: OFF, LAG, DROP, THROTTLE
• Packet Interception: Raw socket-based packet capture and manipulation
• Configurable Parameters: Delay, drop rate, throttle rate
• Target Filtering: Filter by IP address and/or port
• Dual Interface: Both CLI and GUI versions available
• Real-time Control: Start/stop and adjust parameters on the fly
• Traffic Statistics: Monitor packet rates and throughput
• Cross-platform: Works on macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like systems

Requirements

• GCC compiler
• GTK+3 (for GUI version, optional)
• Root/administrator privileges (for packet interception)

Installation on macOS

xcode-select --install

brew install gtk+3

Installation on Linux

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential libgtk-3-dev

sudo yum groupinstall "Development Tools"
sudo yum install gtk3-devel

Building

Traditional Build (Make)

make all

make cli

make gui

make clean

make help

Nix Development Environment

Using Flakes (Recommended)

nix develop

nix develop .#cli

nix build .#cli
nix build .#gui
nix build .

nix run .#cli
nix run .#gui
nix run .


nix flake check

Using direnv (Optional)

echo 'eval "$(direnv hook bash)"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'eval "$(direnv hook zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc

direnv allow

Nix Shell (Legacy)

nix-shell

nix-shell --attr cli

Nix Environment Features

The Nix development environment includes:

• Build Tools: GCC, pkg-config, make
• GUI Dependencies: GTK+3, glib, pango, cairo
• Development Tools: gdb, valgrind, strace, clang-tools
• Static Analysis: cppcheck, clang-tidy, splint
• Runtime Utilities: iproute2, nettools

All dependencies are reproducibly built and isolated from your system.

Usage

CLI Mode

sudo ./bin/netlagx-cli

sudo make install
sudo netlagx

sudo netlagx -i 192.168.1.100 -p 80 -d 200 -m lag

CLI Commands

The interactive CLI provides the following options:

1. Start lag switch - Begin packet interception
2. Stop lag switch - Stop packet interception
3. Show configuration - Display current settings
4. Change mode - Switch between OFF/LAG/DROP/THROTTLE
5. Change delay - Set lag delay in milliseconds (0-5000ms)
6. Change drop rate - Set packet drop probability (0.0-1.0)
7. Change throttle rate - Set throttle probability (0.0-1.0)
8. Set target IP - Filter packets by destination IP
9. Set target port - Filter packets by destination port
10. Exit - Quit the application

GUI Mode

sudo ./bin/netlagx-gui

sudo make install
sudo netlagx-gui

The GUI provides intuitive controls for:

• Mode selection (OFF/LAG/DROP/THROTTLE)
• Delay adjustment (spin button)
• Drop rate configuration
• Throttle rate configuration
• Target IP and port filtering
• Real-time status display
• Activity logging

Command Line Options

Usage: netlagx [options]

Options:
  -g, --gui          Run GUI interface (default: CLI)
  -i, --ip <IP>      Target IP address
  -p, --port <PORT>  Target port
  -d, --delay <MS>   Delay in milliseconds (default: 100)
  -m, --mode <MODE>  Mode: off, lag, drop, throttle (default: lag)
  -r, --drop-rate <RATE>  Packet drop rate 0.0-1.0 (default: 0.1)
  -t, --throttle-rate <RATE>  Throttle rate 0.0-1.0 (default: 0.5)
  -h, --help         Show help message

Operation Modes

OFF Mode

• No packet manipulation
• Packets pass through normally

LAG Mode

• All packets are delayed by the specified amount
• Useful for simulating high-latency connections

DROP Mode

• Randomly drops packets based on the drop rate
• Simulates packet loss scenarios

THROTTLE Mode

• Randomly throttles (delays) packets based on throttle rate
• Simulates bandwidth limitations

Examples

Basic Lag Simulation

sudo netlagx -d 200 -m lag

Targeted Packet Dropping

sudo netlagx -i 192.168.1.100 -p 80 -r 0.3 -m drop

Mixed Configuration

sudo netlagx -d 100 -t 0.5 -m throttle

Security and Permissions

NetLagX requires root privileges because it:

• Creates raw sockets for packet interception
• Manipulates network traffic at the packet level
• Needs access to low-level network operations

Always review the code and understand what the application does before running with elevated privileges.

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied

sudo netlagx

GTK+3 Not Found

# Install GTK+3 development libraries
# macOS: brew install gtk+3
# Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-dev
# CentOS: sudo yum install gtk3-devel

Build Errors

make clean
make all

Disclaimer

This tool is designed for legitimate testing, debugging, and educational purposes only. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with local laws and network policies. The authors are not responsible for misuse of this software.