Run an ICMP ping and get structured results

#🏓 Run an ICMP ping and get structured results

This package provides a simple way to execute ICMP ping commands and parse the results into structured data. It wraps the system's ping command and returns detailed information about packet loss, response times, and connectivity status.

use Spatie\Ping\Ping;
 
$result = (new Ping('8.8.8.8'))->run(); // returns an instance of \Spatie\Ping\PingResult
 
// Basic status
echo $result->isSuccess() ? 'Success' : 'Failed';
echo $result->hasError() ? "Error: {$result->error()?->value}" : 'No errors';
 
// Packet statistics
echo "Packets transmitted: {$result->packetsTransmitted()}";
echo "Packets received: {$result->packetsReceived()}";
echo "Packet loss: {$result->packetLossPercentage()}%";
 
// Timing information
echo "Min time: {$result->minimumTimeInMs()}ms";
echo "Max time: {$result->maximumTimeInMs()}ms";
echo "Average time: {$result->averageTimeInMs()}ms";
echo "Standard deviation: {$result->standardDeviationTimeInMs()}ms";
 
// Individual ping lines
foreach ($result->lines() as $line) {
    echo "Response: {$line->getRawLine()} ({$line->getTimeInMs()}ms)";
}

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#Installation

You can install the package via Composer:

composer require spatie/ping

#Usage

The simplest way to ping a host:

use Spatie\Ping\Ping;
 
$result = (new Ping('8.8.8.8'))->run();
 
if ($result->isSuccess()) {
    echo "Ping successful! Average response time: {$result->averageResponseTimeInMs()}ms";
} else {
    echo "Ping failed: {$result->error()?->value}";
}

#Configuring ping options

You can customize the ping behavior using constructor parameters:

$result = (new Ping(
    hostname: '8.8.8.8',
    timeoutInSeconds: 5,     // seconds
    count: 3,                // number of packets
    intervalInSeconds: 1.0,  // seconds between packets
    packetSizeInBytes: 64,   // how big the packet is we'll send to the server
    ttl: 64,                 // time to live (maximum number of hops)
    showLostPackets: true    // report outstanding replies (Linux only, enabled by default)
))->run();

Or use the fluent interface:

$result = (new Ping('8.8.8.8'))
    ->timeoutInSeconds(10)
    ->count(5)
    ->intervalInSeconds(0.5)
    ->packetSizeInBytes(128)
    ->ttl(32)
    ->showLostPackets(false)
    ->run();

#Lost packet reporting

The showLostPackets option enables the -O flag on Linux systems, which reports outstanding ICMP ECHO replies before sending the next packet. This is useful for diagnostic purposes and logging when investigating network connectivity issues:

// Enabled by default on Linux (ignored on macOS)
$result = (new Ping('8.8.8.8'))->run();
 
// Explicitly disable
$result = (new Ping('8.8.8.8'))
    ->showLostPackets(false)
    ->run();
 
// Explicitly enable
$result = (new Ping('8.8.8.8'))
    ->showLostPackets(true)
    ->run();

#Output example

With showLostPackets: true (default), the raw output will include notifications about missing replies:

PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=1 ttl=117 time=15.2 ms
no answer yet for icmp_seq=2
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=3 ttl=117 time=12.8 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=2 ttl=117 time=45.1 ms
 
--- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss

With showLostPackets: false, only successful replies are shown:

PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=1 ttl=117 time=15.2 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=3 ttl=117 time=12.8 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=2 ttl=117 time=45.1 ms
 
--- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss

Note: This option only works on Linux systems and is automatically ignored on macOS.

#Working with results

The PingResult object provides detailed information about the ping operation:

$result = (new Ping('8.8.8.8', count: 3))->run();
 
// Basic status
echo $result->isSuccess() ? 'Success' : 'Failed';
echo $result->hasError() ? "Error: {$result->error()?->value}" : 'No errors';
 
// Packet statistics
echo "Packets transmitted: {$result->packetsTransmitted()}";
echo "Packets received: {$result->packetsReceived()}";
echo "Packet loss: {$result->packetLossPercentage()}%";
 
// Timing information
echo "Min time: {$result->minimumTimeInMs()}ms";
echo "Max time: {$result->maximumTimeInMs()}ms";
echo "Average time: {$result->averageTimeInMs()}ms";
echo "Standard deviation: {$result->standardDeviationTimeInMs()}ms";
 
// Individual ping lines
foreach ($result->lines() as $line) {
    echo "Response: {$line->getRawLine()} ({$line->getTimeInMs()}ms)";
}
 
// Raw ping output
echo $result->raw;

#Converting to array

You can convert the result to an array for easy serialization:

$result = (new Ping('8.8.8.8'))->run();
$array = $result->toArray();
 
// The array contains all ping data:
// [
//     'success' => true,
//     'error' => null,
//     'host' => '8.8.8.8',
//     'packet_loss_percentage' => 0,
//     'packets_transmitted' => 4,
//     'packets_received' => 4,
//     'options' => [
//         'timeout_in_seconds' => 5,
//         'interval' => 1.0,
//         'packet_size_in_bytes' => 56,
//         'ttl' => 64,
//     ],
//     'timings' => [
//         'minimum_time_in_ms' => 8.5,
//         'maximum_time_in_ms' => 12.3,
//         'average_time_in_ms' => 10.2,
//         'standard_deviation_time_in_ms' => 1.8,
//     ],
//     'raw_output' => '...',
//     'lines' => [...],
// ]

You can also reconstruct a PingResult from an array:

$newResult = PingResult::fromArray($array);

#Error handling

The error() method on a PingResult will return a case of the Spatie\Ping\Enums\PingError enum.

use Spatie\Ping\Ping;
 
$result = (new Ping('non-existent-host.invalid'))->run();
 
if (! $result->isSuccess()) {
    return $result->error() // returns the enum case Spatie\Ping\Enums\PingError::HostnameNotFound
}

#Testing

composer test

#Changelog

Please see CHANGELOG for more information on what has changed recently.

#Contributing

Please see CONTRIBUTING for details.

#Security Vulnerabilities

Please review our security policy on how to report security vulnerabilities.

#Credits

• Freek Van der Herten
• All Contributors

#License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.