speedtest
Networking
Usage
speedtest [-s <server-id>]Measures line speed by actually pushing traffic to a nearby server; it is not preinstalled on any system, and two different programs share the name (Ookla's speedtest and the Python speedtest-cli) with different flags.
Common flags
| Flag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| -L | List nearby servers with their IDs (Ookla's speedtest). |
| -s <id> | Test against one specific server instead of the automatic pick. |
| -f json | Machine-readable output, for logging over time. |
| --accept-license | Needed once, non-interactively, on the Ookla client. |
| --simple / --json | The equivalents in the older Python speedtest-cli. |
Examples
speedtestThroughput and latency to the nearest server.
speedtest -f jsonThe same numbers in a form you can store.
speedtest-cli --simpleThe Python client, which takes different flags entirely.
When a connection fails, these narrow down how far it got — name not resolving, no route, or a blocked port.
How to read this
- Square brackets [ ] mark a part you may leave out.
- An ellipsis … means you can list more than one.
- Flags are case-sensitive — in some commands -r and -R do different things.
Questions
Q. What does speedtest do?
Measures line speed by actually pushing traffic to a nearby server; it is not preinstalled on any system, and two different programs share the name (Ookla's speedtest and the Python speedtest-cli) with different flags.
Q. How do I type it?
speedtest [-s <server-id>] — square brackets mark the parts you can leave out.
Q. How many flags are worth knowing?
5 are listed here; the full set is in man speedtest. This command sits under Networking.
Related commands
man page: man speedtest