project_spec.md

Project Specification: NetScannerMacOS

Project Overview

A high-performance network scanner optimized for macOS (Apple Silicon/Intel), designed to identify active hosts and open ports within a local subnet.

Technical Stack

• Language: C++ (Standard 17 or higher)
• Target OS: macOS (Darwin)
• Libraries: libpcap (for packet capture), std::thread (for concurrency).
• Build System: CMake

System Architecture

The application follows a modular design:

• Scanner Engine: Core logic for ARP/ICMP scanning and TCP SYN probing.
• Discovery Module: Handles network interface detection using macOS-improved APIs.
• ARP Scanner Module: Dedicated module for low-level ARP request/reply analysis.
• Reporter: Formats scan results into human-readable console output or JSON.

Data Flow (Mermaid)

graph TD
    A[User Command] --> B[Scanner Engine]
    B --> C[Discovery Module]
    C --> D[Network Interface Discovery]
    D --> E[ARP/ICMP Probing]
    E --> F[TCP Port Scanning]
    F --> G[Result Formatter]
    G --> H[Console/JSON Output]

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File Structure

NetScannerMacOS/
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── src/
│   ├── main.cpp
│   ├── scanner.cpp
│   ├── discovery.cpp
│   ├── reporter.cpp
│   ├── logger.cpp
│   └── arp_scanner.cpp
├── include/
│   ├── scanner.hpp
│   ├── discovery.hpp
│   ├── reporter.hpp
│   ├── logger.hpp
│   └── arp_scanner.hpp
├── tests/
│   └── test_scanner.cpp
└── README.md

Implementation Roadmap

1. Phase 1: Setup - Configure CMake and verify libpcap availability on macOS.
2. Phase 2: Discovery - Implement host discovery using ARP/ICMP.
3. Phase 3: Port Scanning - Implement asynchronous TCP port probing.
4. Phase 4: Reporting - Develop the output formatting module.

Deployment Note

While designed for macOS, the logic can be ported to Linux via minor adjustments to the interface detection module.