iperf3: Network speed tests
iperf 3 is a useful tool that allows you to easily do (local) network speed tests between two computers.
Usage
Server
After executing this command, the server is started and no longer needs to be touched. All the test related options are used from the client side.Client
To start a basic upload (client -> server) speed test, type this command:
Replacex.x.x.x with the IP address of the server.
Options
You can add options to the client command to e.g. reverse the speed test (upload/download) or do a bidirectional speed test (upload and download at the same time).
Here is a short list of the probably most used options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-R |
Run in reverse mode (server sends, client receives) |
--bidir |
Run in bidirectional mode |
-t 30 |
Time in seconds (e.g. 30s) to transmit for (default 10 secs) |
To get the full list of options + descriptions, type:
Installation
Debian/Ubuntu
Fedora / Red Hat / CentOS / Rocky
Alpine Linux (often used for docker containers)
FreeBSD
macOS
Windows
Download the latest version of iPerf3 from the official website: iPerf3 Download
Android
Useful networking app that also integrates iPerf 3: PingTools Network Utilities
Run as service
To always let the server run without opening a terminal, you can create an iperf3 service that automatically gets started on boot.
Create this file:
[Unit]
Description=iperf3 server
After=syslog.target network.target auditd.service
[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/iperf3 -s
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Reload systemctl (this is needed after creating/modifying systemd service files):
Start the iperf3 server:
Enable it so that it automatically start back up on reboot:
Inspired by: https://askubuntu.com/questions/1251443/start-iperf3-deamon-at-startup