Protocol / EtherType / ICMP

Decode the numbers in the headers.

A fast, offline reference for the three number spaces you forget mid-capture: IP protocol numbers, Ethernet EtherTypes, and ICMP type/code values. Type to filter any table.

IP protocol numbers
DecHexKeywordProtocol
EtherTypes
HexKeywordProtocol
ICMP types
TypeNameNotes
Context

These three values live in different headers but get confused constantly. The EtherType sits in the Ethernet frame and says what the payload is — 0x0800 for IPv4, 0x86DD for IPv6, 0x0806 for ARP. Inside an IP packet, the protocol number says what the IP payload is — 6 for TCP, 17 for UDP, 1 for ICMP. And within ICMP, the type field says what kind of message it is — 8 echo request, 0 echo reply, 3 destination unreachable.

Why keep this handy

Firewall logs, ACLs, flow records, and packet captures all surface these as bare numbers. A proto 47 in a flow record is GRE; an EtherType 0x8100 means an 802.1Q VLAN tag follows. Recognizing them on sight saves a tab-switch.

FAQ
What protocol number is TCP? UDP?

TCP is IP protocol 6, UDP is 17. ICMP is 1 and ICMPv6 is 58.

What EtherType is IPv6?

0x86DD. IPv4 is 0x0800 and ARP is 0x0806.

Is this list exhaustive?

No — it covers the values engineers actually meet in practice. The full registries are maintained by IANA.