In this article, we will see the steps to install and use Speedtest CLI to test Internet Speed on Linux. Speedtest CLI is a free and open source utility available for Software Developers, system administrators and Computer Enthusiasts to test the Internet Bandwidth on Linux Based Systems. With Speedtest CLI, you can easily:-

• Measure internet connection performance metrics like download, upload, latency and packet loss natively without relying on a web browser.
• Test the internet connection of your Linux desktop, a remote server or even lower-powered devices such as the Raspberry Pi with the Speedtest Server Network.
• Set up automated scripts to collect connection performance data, including trends over time.
• Use Speedtest in your programs by wrapping it in the programming language of your choice.
• View test results via CSV, JSONL or JSON. More on Speedtest CLI Official page.

Install and Use Speedtest CLI to Test Internet Speed on Linux

Also Read: Step by Step Guide to Install Rocky Linux 8.4

Step 1: Prerequisites

a) You should have a running Linux Server.

b) You should have apt-get or yum utility installed in your Server

c) You should have sudo or root access to run privileged commands in your Server.

Step 2: Update Your Server

If you are using CentOS/RHEL based servers then you need to use yum update command to update all the installed packages from enabled Repo.

[root@localhost ~]# yum update 
base | 3.6 kB 00:00:00
extras | 2.9 kB 00:00:00
updates | 2.9 kB 00:00:00
updates/7/x86_64/primary_db | 8.8 MB 00:00:02
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package NetworkManager.x86_64 1:1.18.4-3.el7 will be updated
---> Package NetworkManager.x86_64 1:1.18.8-2.el7_9 will be an update
---> Package NetworkManager-libnm.x86_64 1:1.18.4-3.el7 will be updated
---> Package NetworkManager-libnm.x86_64 1:1.18.8-2.el7_9 will be an update
---> Package NetworkManager-team.x86_64 1:1.18.4-3.el7 will be updated
---> Package NetworkManager-team.x86_64 1:1.18.8-2.el7_9 will be an update
---> Package NetworkManager-tui.x86_64 1:1.18.4-3.el7 will be updated
---> Package NetworkManager-tui.x86_64 1:1.18.8-2.el7_9 will be an update

If you are using Ubuntu/Debian based system then you need to use apt-get update command to update your System.

[root@localhost ~]# apt-get update

Step 3: Install Python-pip Utility

You will need Python pip package to install speedtest-cli utility. So to install this package on CentOS/RHEL 7 based systems you need to use yum install python3-pip command as shown below.

[root@localhost ~]# yum install python3-pip
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package python3-pip.noarch 0:9.0.3-8.el7 will be installed
--> Processing Dependency: python(abi) = 3.6 for package: python3-pip-9.0.3-8.el7.noarch
--> Processing Dependency: python3-setuptools for package: python3-pip-9.0.3-8.el7.noarch
--> Processing Dependency: /usr/bin/python3 for package: python3-pip-9.0.3-8.el7.noarch
--> Running transaction check
---> Package python3.x86_64 0:3.6.8-18.el7 will be installed
--> Processing Dependency: python3-libs(x86-64) = 3.6.8-18.el7 for package: python3-3.6.8-18.el7.x86_64
--> Processing Dependency: libpython3.6m.so.1.0()(64bit) for package: python3-3.6.8-18.el7.x86_64
---> Package python3-setuptools.noarch 0:39.2.0-10.el7 will be installed
--> Running transaction check
---> Package python3-libs.x86_64 0:3.6.8-18.el7 will be installed
--> Processing Dependency: libtirpc.so.1()(64bit) for package: python3-libs-3.6.8-18.el7.x86_64
--> Running transaction check
---> Package libtirpc.x86_64 0:0.2.4-0.16.el7 will be installed
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

In case you are using older CentOS/RHEL version then you can install it using yum install python-pip command as shown below.

[root@localhost ~]# yum install python-pip

Similarly for Ubuntu/Debian based systems you can use either apt-get install python3-pip or apt-get install python-pip command based on your ubuntu/debian version.

apt-get install python-pip3
apt-get install python-pip

Step 4: Install Speedtest CLI

Once pip3 utility is available, you can now install speedtest-cli using pip3 install speedtest-cli command as shown below.

[root@localhost ~]# pip3 install speedtest-cli
WARNING: Running pip install with root privileges is generally not a good idea. Try `pip3 install --user` instead.
Collecting speedtest-cli
Downloading https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/9f/39/65259b7054368b370d3183762484fa2c779ddc41633894d895f9d1720f45/speedtest_cli-2.1.3-py2.py3-none-any.whl
Installing collected packages: speedtest-cli
Successfully installed speedtest-cli-2.1.3

If you are using older version of pip utility then you can use pip install speedtest-cli command.

[root@localhost ~]# pip install speedtest-cli

Step 5: Check Speedtest-cli version

You can verify speedtest-cli installed version by using speedtest-cli --version command as shown below.

[root@localhost ~]# speedtest-cli --version
speedtest-cli 2.1.3
Python 3.6.8 (default, Nov 16 2020, 16:55:22) [GCC 4.8.5 20150623 (Red Hat 4.8.5-44)]

Step 6: Test Your Internet Speed

You can simply run speedtest-cli command to test your Linux Internet speed as shown below. Here you will get important information about your local Internet Connection like download speed and upload speed.

[root@localhost ~]# speedtest-cli
Retrieving speedtest.net configuration...
Testing from Jio (100.40.69.86)...
Retrieving speedtest.net server list...
Selecting best server based on ping...
Hosted by Synergy Internet (California) [0.17 km]: 84.413 ms
Testing download speed................................................................................
Download: 83.50 Mbit/s
Testing upload speed......................................................................................................
Upload: 24.27 Mbit/s

Step 7: Remove Speedtest CLI

Once you are done with the tool, you can simply uninstall it by using pip3 uninstall speedtest-cli command as shown below.

[root@localhost ~]# pip3 uninstall speedtest-cli
Uninstalling speedtest-cli-2.1.3:
/usr/local/bin/speedtest
/usr/local/bin/speedtest-cli
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/__pycache__/speedtest.cpython-36.pyc
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/__pycache__/speedtest_cli.cpython-36.pyc
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest.py
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest_cli-2.1.3.dist-info/INSTALLER
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest_cli-2.1.3.dist-info/LICENSE
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest_cli-2.1.3.dist-info/METADATA
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest_cli-2.1.3.dist-info/RECORD
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest_cli-2.1.3.dist-info/WHEEL
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest_cli-2.1.3.dist-info/entry_points.txt
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest_cli-2.1.3.dist-info/top_level.txt
/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest_cli.py
Proceed (y/n)? y
Successfully uninstalled speedtest-cli-2.1.3

If you are using older version of pip utility then you can use pip uninstall speedtest-cli command to remove Speedtest CLI.

[root@localhost ~]# pip uninstall speedtest-cli