---
id: aiodhcpwatcher
version: "1.2.7"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# aiodhcpwatcher — Watch for DHCP packets with asyncio

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 96.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

aiodhcpwatcher is a Python library that monitors DHCP packets on your network using asyncio, the standard Python async framework. It wraps scapy to listen for DHCP traffic and invoke a callback whenever a DHCP packet arrives. The library is designed for developers who need to react to DHCP events in async Python applications—for example, detecting when devices join a network or tracking DHCP lease activity.

The package is in pre-alpha status but actively maintained and supports Python 3.10 through 3.14. Installation is straightforward with low friction, and the API is minimal: you provide an async callback and call async_start() to begin listening. The single runtime dependency is scapy, which handles the actual packet capture.

Use it for:

- Monitor a local network for new device connections by watching DHCP request packets.
- Track DHCP lease renewals and expirations for network diagnostics or device lifecycle management.
- Integrate DHCP monitoring into an async Python service that needs to react to network events in real time.
- Build a network discovery tool that logs DHCP activity for audit or troubleshooting purposes.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Watches for DHCP packets on the network using asyncio, allowing you to monitor and react to DHCP requests and responses asynchronously.

Yes, if you need asyncio-based DHCP packet monitoring. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, uses a permissive license, and supports current Python versions. Pre-alpha status suggests it is still maturing, but no known vulnerabilities exist. Best suited for developers building network monitoring or device discovery features in async Python applications.

## Install

pip install aiodhcpwatcher
uv add aiodhcpwatcher
poetry add aiodhcpwatcher

## Installing aiodhcpwatcher

Before you install: Low friction install with a single runtime dependency. Actively maintained with recent commits; marked pre-alpha but supports current Python versions.

License in practice: Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install aiodhcpwatcher

import asyncio
import aiodhcpwatcher

async def handle_dhcp(response: aiodhcpwatcher.DHCPRequest) -> None:
    print(response)

async def run():
    cancel = await aiodhcpwatcher.async_start(handle_dhcp)
    await asyncio.Event().wait()

asyncio.run(run())

Requires Python 3.10 or later; scapy may need system-level network access or elevated privileges to capture DHCP packets.

Verify before relying:

- Whether elevated privileges (root/admin) are required to capture DHCP packets on all platforms.
- Scope and filtering capabilities for DHCP packet selection beyond basic monitoring.
- Performance characteristics when handling high-volume DHCP traffic.

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 96.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

dhcp packet monitoring, asyncio dhcp watcher, network dhcp listener, dhcp request detector, async dhcp observer, network-monitoring, asyncio, dhcp

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