What is the purpose of the nmap command?

Nmap is a network scanning tool that can be used to detect and scan target hosts on a network to gather information such as open ports, running services, and operating systems. It can help network administrators or penetration testers assess the security of a network, identify vulnerabilities or potential security risks, and conduct architecture analysis of systems and services. Additionally, Nmap offers advanced features such as operating system fingerprinting, service and version detection, and vulnerability scanning, making it a powerful and popular network tool.