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Network Compression Detector

Network systems tool — Detects compression on network paths using entropy-based UDP probing in C.

C · Golang · Socket Programming · Networking · Linux

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Problem

A network path may silently compress traffic in transit, and nothing along the path will tell you. Detecting it has to be done from the endpoints, without cooperation from the links in between.

Solution

Send two UDP packet trains with identical size but opposite entropy — one incompressible, one highly compressible — and compare their transit behavior. A compressing link treats them differently; a transparent one does not.

Overview

Two companion applications — a client-server pair and a standalone tool — that detect compression links on network paths with 100% accuracy. The server initiates a TCP connection and sends high and low entropy UDP payload trains for the client to receive and analyze. Built and tested across UTM virtual machines running Ubuntu Linux, with packet transactions verified through Wireshark. Also replicated and benchmarked in Golang for performance comparison.

Impact

  • 100% detection accuracy across the test matrix.
  • Packet transactions verified independently through Wireshark.
  • Replicated in Go and benchmarked against the C implementation.