Show HN: A toy version of Wireshark

Summary

Vanta: Lightweight Behavioral Packet Analyzer Author: lixiasky Version: 1.0 License: Apache 2.0 Project Overview Vanta is a lightweight, fast, command-line-based network behavior analyzer. It reconstructs protocol-level flows and extracts structured activity from captured data. Unlike full-featured GUI tools like Wireshark, Vanta focuses on clarity, structure, and simplicity — ideal for custom scripting and minimal setups. Features Protocol-Level Parsing Supports HTTP, DNS, TLS (with partial fingerprinting) Connection Tracking Automatically reconstructs bidirectional flows Behavior Exporting Outputs clean JSON-formatted summaries Portable & Dependency-Free Single binary, no external dependencies Quick Start (See usage/ folder for full guide) go run main.go Refer to the usage folder for complete usage documentation in Chinese. Development Environment OS: macOS 15.5 (Apple Silicon) Editor: Visual Studio Code Language: Go Go Module: go 1.23.0 Toolchain: go1.24.3 Terminal: zsh (macOS default) Developed and tested entirely on a MacBook Air M1 by an undergraduate student, as a personal expression of thanks. Project Structure main.go — Main entry point — Main entry point capture.json — Example input file — Example input file internal/ core/ — Packet capture and flow reassembly decoder/ — Protocol decoders fuzz/ — Fuzzing module (experimental) export/ — Behavior exporting logic usage/ — Usage documentation Why I Built This This project is not just code — it's a response. Amid political pressure, some universities like Harvard, MIT, and CMU stood up for international students. I’m just an ordinary undergraduate with no resources or background. This is my way of responding — not by petition, but through code. Vanta may be small, but it’s real, and it’s mine. I know Vanta is a "toy version" of Wireshark — I still use Wireshark myself in real scenarios. Thanks to Professors and Schools Thank you for standing up for students. This project might not be perfect, but it is heartfel...