Install and Use mtr on macOS | Generated by AI

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Question: Does macOS have the mtr tool, and how do I install and use it?

Answer:

mtr on macOS

mtr does not come pre-installed on macOS and is not available in the Apple App Store. However, it is fully supported and easy to install via Homebrew.

Step 1 — Install Homebrew (if not already installed)

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Step 2 — Install mtr

Run the following command to install mtr via Homebrew:

brew install mtr

Step 3 — Run mtr

After installation, you may need to run mtr with sudo because it requires raw socket access, which is restricted to root by default.

Interactive (live) mode:

sudo mtr api.binance.com

Report mode (equivalent to your Linux command — 100 cycles):

sudo mtr api.binance.com --report -c 100

Example output:

HOST: mba                         Loss%   Snt   Last   Avg  Best  Wrst StDev
  1.|-- 192.168.1.1               0.0%   100    0.7   0.9   0.4   7.9   1.0
  2.|-- 10.0.0.1                  0.0%   100    1.2   1.5   0.8  15.0   2.1
  ...

Why sudo is Required on macOS

macOS restricts raw ICMP socket access to root. Unlike Linux where you can sometimes set setuid permissions, on macOS you almost always need sudo mtr instead of just mtr.

Summary Table

Platform Install Command Run Command
Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt install mtr mtr api.binance.com --report -c 100
Amazon Linux sudo yum install mtr mtr api.binance.com --report -c 100
macOS brew install mtr sudo mtr api.binance.com --report -c 100

Alternative: MacPorts

If you use MacPorts instead of Homebrew, mtr is also available there as a port.

sudo port install mtr

References:

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