EtherApe is free, open source software developed under the GNU General Public License.

Nodes and links are color-coded to represent different protocols forming the various types of traffic on the network.

Individual nodes and their connecting links grow and shrink in size with increases and decreases in network traffic.

In a 2006 survey, Insecure.org named EtherApe number 43 on its list of the "Top 100 Network Security Tools".

Starting with release 0.9.15 capturing is delegated to a separate process, while the main interface can run with lower privileges, significantly reducing the risk associated with capturing packets from untrusted sources (e.g. Internet).