Nikto vs Gobuster: Which Kali Linux Tools tool is Best in 2025?

Nikto is an open-source web server and CGI scanner written in Perl, included in Kali Linux, designed for identifying vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in web applications. Pre-installed on Kali, it performs fast, automated scans to detect outdated software, missing security headers, dangerous files, and potential exploits like XSS or SQL injection. Using LibWhisker for HTTP requests, Nikto supports SSL, proxies, cookies, and evasion techniques, with a pluggable database of over 6,700 checks. It outputs reports in HTML, CSV, JSON, or XML, making it ideal for penetration testers, security analysts, and DevOps teams.

Gobuster is a high-performance, open-source tool written in Go, designed for brute-forcing directories, files, and subdomains on web servers. Available on Kali Linux, it’s a favorite among ethical hackers and penetration testers for discovering hidden web content that could reveal security vulnerabilities. With customizable wordlists, extension filtering, and proxy support, Gobuster efficiently uncovers unlinked pages, sensitive files, or misconfigured server resources, enhancing vulnerability identification.