Speedtest CLI allows FreeBSD users to test Internet speed using the command line. This command is meant for software developers, system administrators, and computer enthusiasts alike. It will enable us to measure internet connection performance metrics like download, upload, latency, and packet loss natively without relying on a web browser. Let us see how to install speedtest CLI on FreeBSD.
| Tutorial details | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty level | Easy |
| Root privileges | Yes |
| Requirements | FreeBSD Unix |
| Est. reading time | 5m |
How to install speedtest-cli on a FreeBSD
First thing first, update your FreeBSD system and install security package updates using the pkg command:
# pkg update
# pkg upgrade
Then search for speedtest cli package, run:
# pkg search speedtest
Outputs:
py27-speedtest-cli-2.1.2 Python 2.x CLI for testing internet bandwidth py37-speedtest-cli-2.1.2 Python 3.x version for testing internet bandwidth
Getting information about package
Run the following comamnd:
# pkg info py37-speedtest-cli
Sample info:
Name : py37-speedtest-cli Version : 2.1.2 Installed on : Fri Oct 9 21:52:08 2020 IST Origin : net/py-speedtest-cli Architecture : FreeBSD:11:* Prefix : /usr/local Categories : python net Licenses : APACHE20 Maintainer : nivit@FreeBSD.org WWW : https://github.com/sivel/speedtest-cli Comment : Command line interface for testing internet bandwidth Options : DOCS : on Annotations : flavor : py37 repo_type : binary repository : FreeBSD Flat size : 184KiB Description : Command line interface for testing internet bandwidth using speedtest.net WWW: https://github.com/sivel/speedtest-cli
Installing speedtest-cli on a FreeBSD Unix system
Since I am using Python version 3.7, I need to install py37-speedtest-cli-2.1.2 as follows:
# pkg install py37-speedtest-cli
How to check the Internet speed
Simply type the following command:
$ speedtest-cli
## or ##
$ speedtest
Force HTTPS instead of HTTP when communicating with speedtest.net operated servers or mirros:
$ speedtest-cli --secure
Internet UP/DL speed session:
Retrieving speedtest.net configuration... Testing from MY_ISP (13.xxx.yyy.zzz)... Retrieving speedtest.net server list... Selecting best server based on ping... Hosted by NewMedia Express (Singapore) [6.13 km]: 43.585 ms Testing download speed........................................ Download: 85.66 Mbit/s Testing upload speed.......................................... Upload: 85.08 Mbit/s
NOTE: There will be a small speed drop when connected to OpenVPN or WireGuard VPN.
Want to simulate a typical file transfer? Force a single connection instead of multiple (default):
$ speedtest --single
We can display the Internet speed values in bytes instead of bits on my FreeBSD system as follows:
$ speedtest --bytes
Suppress verbose output
We can only show basic information such as ping time, download and upload speed from the CLI:
$ speedtest --secure --simple
Which will result into the following:
Ping: 43.57 ms Download: 85.63 Mbit/s Upload: 87.08 Mbit/s
JSON or CSV format
We can view test results via CSV, JSONL, or JSON format. Pretty useful for automation and programming tasks:
$ speedtest --secure --csv
$ speedtest --secure --json
Let us redirect output to a file named /tmp/output.json:
$ speedtest --secure --csv > /tmp/output.csv
$ speedtest --secure --json > /tmp/output.json
Display the file called output.{json,csv} using the cat command:
$ cat /tmp/output.json
Now, we can use jq, which is a lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor for Unix-like systems. For instance:
$ jq . /tmp/out.json
# get download, upload speed, and ping time #
$ jq -r '.download' /tmp/out.json
$ jq -r '.upload' /tmp/out.json
$ jq -r '.ping' /tmp/out.json
How do I specify a server ID to test against a different speedtest.net server?
First see a list of speedtest.net servers sorted by distance by passing the --list option:
$ speedtest --list | more
## Filter output using the grep command/egrep command ##
$ speedtest --list | grep COUNTRY_NAME
$ speedtest --list | grep ISP_NAME
Next, I am going to specify a server ID 13623 (Singtel) to test against:
$ speedtest --server 13623 --secure
Conclusion
In this quick tutorial, we learned how to install speedtest-cli for testing internet bandwidth using speedtest.net on a FreeBSD Unix server or desktop system. For the web browser-based, try the speedtest or fast service from Netflix.
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| Category | List of Unix and Linux commands |
|---|---|
| Disk space analyzers | df • duf • ncdu • pydf |
| File Management | cat • cp • mkdir • tree |
| Firewall | Alpine Awall • CentOS 8 • OpenSUSE • RHEL 8 • Ubuntu 16.04 • Ubuntu 18.04 • Ubuntu 20.04 |
| Modern utilities | bat • exa |
| Network Utilities | NetHogs • dig • host • ip • nmap |
| OpenVPN | CentOS 7 • CentOS 8 • Debian 10 • Debian 8/9 • Ubuntu 18.04 • Ubuntu 20.04 |
| Package Manager | apk • apt |
| Processes Management | bg • chroot • cron • disown • fg • glances • gtop • jobs • killall • kill • pidof • pstree • pwdx • time • vtop |
| Searching | ag • grep • whereis • which |
| User Information | groups • id • lastcomm • last • lid/libuser-lid • logname • members • users • whoami • who • w |
| WireGuard VPN | Alpine • CentOS 8 • Debian 10 • Firewall • Ubuntu 20.04 |
> There will be a small speed drop when connected to OpenVPN or WireGuard VPN.
Why? What cause speed drop? Is it FreeBSD issue or VPN software?
VPN tunnel overhead or throughput depends on hardware, software, VPN license from vendors such as Cisco, network stack, Internet speed, and other factors. The majority of such elements are out of your control. I would use iperf instead of speedtest-cli to test the actual speed between a VPN server and client.
TL;DR: Not FreeBSD problem.