Overview

jNetWorks SDK is a next-generation, ultra-high-performance network capture and protocol analysis library for Java, designed to handle modern high-speed networks at line rate.

Built on the same powerful, zero-allocation protocol dissection core as jNetPcap, jNetWorks extends far beyond traditional libpcap limitations to deliver scalable, multi-core packet processing capable of 100–800+ Gbps sustained throughput.

Key Features

• Ultra-High Performance Supports DPDK and Napatech SmartNIC backends for driverless, kernel-bypass capture with hardware-assisted flow distribution and offload.

• Fluent, Modern Java API Clean, type-safe, builder-style syntax for capture configuration, filtering, hashing, and stream creation.

• Parallel Multi-Stream Processing Create multiple PacketStreams and automatically distribute traffic across CPU cores using RSS-style hashing (3-tuple, 5-tuple, etc.).

• Typed Protocol Streams Receive fully dissected protocol objects (e.g., IpDatagram, TcpSegment) directly — no manual header parsing required.

• Zero-Copy and Low-Latency Design Direct memory mapping, reusable buffers, and frame slicing minimize copies and maximize throughput.

• Transparent Backend Abstraction Same code works with libpcap (for development/testing), DPDK, or Napatech — switch backends with one line.

• Structured Concurrency Built-in TaskScope integration for safe, timeout-controlled parallel processing and graceful shutdown.

• Rich Metadata via Descriptors Detailed per-packet flags (e.g., REASSEMBLED, DECRYPTED, FRAGMENTED) and hardware-derived metadata.

When to Use jNetWorks

Choose jNetWorks when you need:

• Line-rate capture on 100G+ interfaces

• Precise flow affinity across many CPU cores

• Deep protocol analysis at scale (reassembly, decryption ready)

• Low-latency, high-throughput monitoring or analytics

• Production-grade reliability in Java

For desktop analysis, offline PCAP processing, or lighter workloads, jNetPcap remains the ideal choice.

Backend Support

Backend	License	Use Case	Performance
libpcap	Apache 2.0	Development, testing, general use	Up to ~40 Gbps
DPDK	Commercial	High-speed driverless capture	100–400+ Gbps
Napatech	Commercial	SmartNIC offload, precise timestamping	100–800+ Gbps

The core API, protocol dissection, and all open-source functionality are fully available under the permissive Apache License 2.0.

Commercial backends unlock maximum hardware performance.

Get Started

See the Getting Started guide and Tutorials for hands-on examples, from basic capture to multi-core load balancing.

jNetWorks brings wire-speed network visibility to Java — without compromising on developer experience.