Our take
Activeregular commits- Activity
- 53
- Community
- 16
- Issues
- 95
- Pull requests
- 21
- Closes issues faster than 81% of the projects we track
Nmap is an established, actively maintained network-mapping tool, though its contributor activity is unusually concentrated and it has had no release in the past year.
Good fit if
- You need host discovery and port scanning on Linux, macOS, or Windows.
- You are comfortable using a command-line tool, or want its Zenmap graphical front end.
- Your use and redistribution plans fit Nmap's custom license, or you can obtain its commercial license where needed.
Look elsewhere if
- Your project requires a permissive or GPLv2-compatible license, since Nmap's custom license is not compatible with GPLv2.
- You require a recent tagged release as part of your adoption process.
- You need a project with broadly distributed contributor ownership; most recent contributor activity is concentrated in one person.
All health signals
| Last commit | 2026-11-09 (1 day ago) |
|---|---|
| Commits, last 90 days | 100+ |
| Releases, last 12 months | 0 |
| Contributors | 4 (top contributor: 99% of commits) |
| Issues closed, last 90 days | 79+ (typically closed in 0 days) |
| Pull requests merged, last 90 days | 0 |
| Project age | 14 years |
Checked on 2026-11-10 with the GitHub API.
Overview
Nmap, the Network Mapper, is a C-based tool for discovering hosts and examining networks through port scans. It helps network administrators and security practitioners understand which systems are reachable and what services they expose. It is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows; Zenmap provides a graphical front end for users who prefer one.
The repository is a GitHub mirror of Nmap's official SVN repository. Nmap is a mature, actively maintained project, but its recent work is highly concentrated among a small number of contributors.
Key Features
- Discover hosts on a network and scan their ports.
- Inspect reachable network services to support inventory and security assessment.
- Run from the command line, with common options listed when invoked without parameters.
- Use Zenmap as a graphical front end.
- Install from source on supported systems with the configure-and-make workflow.
- Consult the project's online manual and documentation for detailed options.
Use Cases
- Network administrators can map reachable hosts and services while auditing an organization's network.
- Security practitioners can examine exposed ports during authorized assessments.
- Operations teams can check which services are reachable when investigating connectivity or exposure.
- Users who want a visual interface can use Zenmap rather than working exclusively at the command line.
What you need
Detected in the repository
- C (main language on GitHub)
- A test suite and automated checks on GitHub Actions
Getting Started
From a source checkout, run:
./configure
make
make install
For installation details and usage options, see the Nmap Install Guide and manual. The repository is a mirror; downloads and documentation are also available from Nmap.org.
License in Plain Words
No standard license was detected. Without a license, the default copyright rules apply: you may read the code, but not reuse it. Check the repository or ask the authors.
Alternatives
| Project | Language | License | Stars | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nmap | C | – | 14k | Active |
| masscan | C | AGPL-3.0 | 26.1k | Maintained |
| RustScan | Rust | GPL-3.0 | 20.7k | Active |
Considerations
Nmap's license is custom, based on but not compatible with GPLv2. End users may use it freely, while companies that redistribute Nmap technology with their products may need a commercial license; review the licensing details for your situation. The project is active and handles issues, but contributor activity is concentrated in one person and there has been no release in over a year. This repository is a GitHub mirror of the official SVN repository.
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