NextTrace is a lightweight, open-source CLI tool for visual route tracking, built with Golang. It offers an enhanced alternative to traditional traceroute tools, providing detailed network path visualization and analysis for network engineers, security professionals, and advanced users.

How It Works

NextTrace utilizes ICMP, TCP SYN, or UDP protocols for trace requests, offering flexibility in network probing. It features advanced options like TTL control, parallel probes, and custom payload sizes. A key differentiator is its route-path visualization, which displays hop information using ASN and location data, powered by its LeoMoeAPI for geolocation.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install: curl nxtrace.org/nt | bash (Linux one-click), brew install nexttrace (macOS), winget install nexttrace (Windows).
• Prerequisites: Go (for building from source), specific OS package managers (apt, brew, winget, scoop).
• Docs: www.nxtrace.org

Highlighted Details

• Supports IPv4 and IPv6 tracing.
• Offers multiple output formats: table, raw, JSON, and a visual route-path diagram.
• Integrates with various IP geolocation providers (LeoMoeAPI, IP.SB, IPInfo, etc.) and supports custom API tokens.
• Includes a "fast-trace" feature for quick testing across major Chinese ISPs.

Maintenance & Community

The project is actively maintained, with development primarily occurring in the NTrace-V1 repository, which serves as a beta testing ground. Community contributions are welcomed via PRs to NTrace-V1. Related projects include opentrace (GUI), nexttracewebapi (web API), and NextTraceroute (Android app).

Licensing & Compatibility

The project is developed using JetBrains Open-Source Project License. LeoMoeAPI data is subject to copyright restrictions from multiple sources and is intended for geolocation display purposes only. Commercial use of LeoMoeAPI data may be restricted.

Limitations & Caveats

Windows support is currently experimental due to Golang's incomplete implementation of some essential dependencies. Some free IP geolocation APIs have query frequency limits, requiring users to obtain API keys or compile from source. The route visualization function currently relies on LeoMoeAPI for hop coordinates.