ntop is available to install on FreeBSD via the ports system. If you haven’t set it up yet, see this article for more information:
Once you’ve set it up initially, you can search for ntop by running:
- sudo portsnap fetch update
- cd /usr/ports
- make quicksearch name=ntop path=/net
In the output, you’ll find its path
Path: /usr/ports/net/ntop
This lets us know where we need to run the installation commands from. Change to that directory, and install ntop from there using:
- cd /usr/ports/net/ntop
- sudo make config-recursive install distclean
This will configure, build, and install ntop and all of its dependencies.

by Justin Ellingwood
FreeBSD is a powerful operating system capable functioning in a variety of roles. Part of what makes FreeBSD an ideal choice in many scenarios is its flexibility. A large contribution to this reputation comes from FreeBSD's supported method for installing software from source, known as the ports system. In this guide, we will discuss some of the benefits of the ports system and demonstrate how to use it to acquire and manage additional software.