#network_discovery — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #network_discovery, aggregated by home.social.
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🛠️ Tool
===================Opening: LAN Orangutan is a self-hosted network discovery and device-inventory utility aimed at homelab users. The project blends an nmap-driven discovery backend with a modern web dashboard and a full-featured CLI that emits JSON for automation.
Key Features:
• Auto-discovery: network scanning and device enumeration using nmap results parsed into a local inventory.
• Inventory management: labeling, grouping, notes, and online/offline status tracking.
• Multi-network support: discovery across multiple detected networks and aggregated views.
• Integration: Tailscale integration to surface devices reachable via that overlay.
• Exports and APIs: CSV/JSON export and CLI JSON output for downstream processing.
• Distribution model: single binary cross-platform distribution (Windows, macOS, Linux) with a bundled web UI supporting light/dark modes and keyboard shortcuts.Technical Implementation (conceptual):
• The discovery layer relies on invoking nmap to enumerate live hosts, parse ARP/hostname/vendor data, and build a device index.
• Elevated privileges are required to access ARP tables and MAC-to-vendor mappings; without elevated privileges the tool will still report IPs but omit MAC/vendor fields.
• A local HTTP server exposes the dashboard and device APIs; the CLI provides parity with the UI through JSON outputs suitable for automation pipelines.Use Cases:
• Home lab asset tracking and device labeling for mixed environments (servers, desktops, IoT).
• Reconciling overlay networks (Tailscale) with physical LAN devices.
• Exporting inventories for documentation or integration into other tooling.Limitations and Considerations:
• External dependency on nmap is required for network discovery; the quality of discovered metadata depends on the privileges under which nmap runs.
• Device classification relies on passive/active discovery heuristics; vendor and hostname data may be incomplete on restricted networks.
• Single-binary distribution eases deployment but does not remove the need for the nmap binary and appropriate system permissions.References:
• Configuration locations include platform-specific config file paths and a configuration example shipped with the project.