Which command would most likely show you active network connections on a Linux machine?

The command that is most likely to show active network connections on a Linux machine is netstat. This tool provides a comprehensive overview of network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, masquerade connections, and multicast memberships. It presents information about both incoming and outgoing connections under different protocol types (TCP, UDP, etc.), which is essential for monitoring network activity.

While other commands listed may provide some insights into network connections, they serve different primary purposes. For instance, iftop is primarily used for monitoring bandwidth usage on network interfaces, presenting real-time traffic between pairs of hosts. The ss command is similar to netstat but is often used for retrieving socket statistics and can present more advanced information about connections. lsof is designed to list open files and can show open network connections, but its scope is broader and not specifically targeted at displaying network connections alone.

Understanding the specific functions of these commands clarifies why netstat is the most suitable choice for directly viewing active network connections.