PCAPNG File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .pcapng
Full Name PCAP Next Generation Dump File Format
MIME Type application/vnd.tcpdump.pcap
Developed By Wireshark
Format Type Binary
Multi-file Capture Capability Yes
Section Header Block (SHB) Yes - For general information about the capture file
Interface Description Block (IDB) Yes - Provides details about network interfaces
Enhanced Packet Block (EPB) Yes
Comments Supports embedded comments
Custom Options Yes - Both at the block level and for individual packets
Name Resolution Block (NRB) Supports name resolution for network addresses
Encryption No native encryption support
File Integrity/Authentication No native support for file integrity checking or authentication
Compression No native support for compression
Maximum File Size Limited by file system
Operating System Compatibility Windows, Linux, macOS, and more
Major Tools Supported Wireshark, Tshark, tcpdump
Use Cases Network traffic capture and analysis
Direct Application Integration Yes, with network analysis and security tools