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How to Find Which Process Is Using a Port with lsoff

Use lsoff to search for processes associated with a TCP or UDP port. See installation options, example filters, missing process details, and safe use of its kill option.
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To identify the process associated with a local port, run lsoff 8080, replacing 8080 with the port you want to inspect. lsoff is a command-line and text-interface tool for Windows, Linux, and macOS that lists processes associated with TCP and UDP ports. Its results can include process details, but permissions may leave fields such as the PID, executable path, or command line blank.

What lsoff shows

lsoff is designed for port-focused process lookup. You can search by port, process name, PID, command line, path, project, or service. The project documents an interactive text UI, tabular output when standard output is not a terminal, and JSON output for other tools or scripts. It says it gathers socket and process information directly rather than shelling out to lsof, ss, or netstat; those implementation details are project-reported, not independently verified.

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For example, lsoff 8080 searches for processes associated with port 8080. To search for a process name and request JSON, the README gives lsoff --json nginx. These are documented examples, not commands independently tested here. See the lsoff project README for current options and release information.

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Install lsoff on your operating system

The project documents support for Windows, Linux, and macOS, with several installation routes. Use the route that fits your system and package-management preferences.

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Route Documented command or guidance
Release binary Download a binary for a supported target from the project’s GitHub releases.
WinGet winget install yutat23.lsoff
Homebrew tap brew tap yutat23/tap, then brew install lsoff. The README notes that Homebrew 6 may require a third-party tap trust step.
Go go install github.com/yutat23/lsoff@latest
Build from source Follow the project’s source-build instructions. The README says macOS builds require CGO because lsoff uses libproc.

These are installation methods documented by the project, not independently tested installation results. The README also notes that the version is baked in at build time, so the output of lsoff -v may need to be checked against the source version after a rebuild or update.

Search for a TCP or UDP port

Look up a specific port

Run lsoff 8080 to search by port number. Replace the example with the port you need to investigate. The project documents a TUI for interactive use and tabular output when results are sent somewhere that is not a terminal.

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Search UDP sockets

Use lsoff -u 53 to search for UDP sockets associated with port 53, following the project’s example. UDP does not have TCP’s connection-state model or a TCP-style LISTEN state. lsoff describes its UDP results as sockets bound to a port with no remote peer, so treat them as bound UDP sockets rather than TCP listeners.

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Filter by process information or get JSON

Search terms can target process name, PID, command line, executable path, project, or service, according to the README. Its example lsoff --json nginx requests JSON results for a process-name search. Consult the README for exact filter syntax and output fields if you are building a script around the output.

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Why process details may be missing

A port result does not guarantee that every process field will be visible. The project warns that permissions can prevent lsoff from retrieving the PID, executable path, or command line. If those details are essential, the README suggests running with root privileges on Linux or macOS, or as Administrator on Windows. Use elevated access only when appropriate for your system and task.

There are also platform-specific qualifications in the README. On Windows, command-line and current-working-directory collection uses NtQueryInformationProcess, which the project describes as an internal Microsoft API that could change. It also documents a limitation when a 32-bit lsoff process inspects command-line or working-directory details of a 64-bit process.

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Use the kill option cautiously

lsoff documents -k as an action to terminate matching processes. For example, its README shows lsoff -k 8080 with confirmation and lsoff -k -y 8080 to skip confirmation; the project says the confirmation-bypass option is required when the command is piped. Verify the match before terminating anything: ending a process can interrupt the application or service using the port.

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The project notes a remaining PID-reuse race on macOS: even after a recheck, the process could change in the final interval before the system’s kill(2) call. Do not treat the recheck as an absolute guarantee that the process being terminated is still the one originally identified.

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When lsof may be a better fit

On Unix-like systems, lsof -i lists Internet socket files, with filters for protocol and port. It may suit you if you want broader open-file inspection or already prefer the lsof command-line workflow. lsoff is explicitly focused on ports and documents Windows, Linux, and macOS support; the cited lsof documentation describes a different scope and does not establish feature-for-feature parity.

For lsoff’s supported platforms and options, consult the project README. For lsof’s Internet-socket filtering, see the lsof documentation.

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