Tech riderRev. 1 Oct 2026
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller
- 1Runs onAPI, self-hosted, Web
- 2CostsNot stated by the maker
- 3Deployment modelon-premises
- 4Control-plane modelcentralized
- 5Policy segmentationYes
- 6Northbound APIYes
- 7Supported protocolsOSPF, IS-IS, BGP, VXLAN, EVPN, SNMP, SCP, REST
6 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: cisco.com
Overview
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is ranked #17 of 24 in software-defined networking software on Specifiction. It runs on API, Self-hosted, Web. There is no free plan.
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller plans and pricing
All plansCisco DCN Essentials subscription Not published 3-year, 5-year, or 7-year subscription terms Fabric inventory and provisioning · fabric and switch upgrades · basic alerts and correlation · platform integrations cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
Cisco DCN Premier subscription Not published 3-year, 5-year, or 7-year subscription terms Advantage features · premier anomaly correlation · pre-change analysis · network telemetry and analytics · enhanced integrations · assurance and compliance cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
Cisco DCN Advantage subscription Not published 3-year, 5-year, or 7-year subscription terms Essentials features · advanced alerts and correlation · capacity and conformance · energy management · DNS integration · streaming export cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
Compared on software-defined networking software
Facts
- Purpose
- Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller provides complete lifecycle management and automation for Cisco MDS and Cisco Nexus deployments across SAN, LAN, and IP fabric for media networking.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Core operations
- NDFC provides management, control, automation, monitoring, visualization, and troubleshooting across Cisco MDS and Cisco Nexus solutions.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Automation and compliance
- Cisco describes automation, graphical visibility, templated deployment with configuration-compliance alerts and automatic remediation, and day-two operations as NDFC benefits.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Operating modes
- The AppCenter listing provides Fabric Discovery for LAN deployments, Fabric Controller for LAN deployments, and SAN Controller modes.dcappcenter.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Web interface
- NDFC uses an HTML-based web user interface as its main interface and includes an integrated device manager for individual switches or directors.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Supported environments
- NDFC can manage Cisco MDS and Nexus switches, visualize Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects, discover VMware vCenter servers, and discover Dell EMC, IBM, HDS, NetApp, and Pure Storage arrays through SMI-S.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Telemetry inputs
- NDFC collects data through SNMP, NX-API, streaming telemetry, and the industry-standard SMI-S provider interface.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- APIs and automation
- All northbound NDFC APIs are REST APIs, include built-in Swagger-style documentation, and support integration with third-party or custom orchestration tools such as Ansible.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Access control
- NDFC provides role-based access control for fabric objects, including granular roles that can differ across fabrics for the same user.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Deployment platform
- NDFC Release 12 runs on Nexus Dashboard and supports virtual or physical Nexus Dashboard deployments for LAN, IPFM, and SAN.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Infrastructure limits
- For virtual Nexus Dashboard deployments, the datasheet lists 16 vCPUs, 64 GB RAM, and 500 GB SSD for LAN and IPFM modes; SAN requires a small or large node depending on SAN Insights.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Licensing requirement
- Each Cisco Nexus device managed by NDFC requires an NDFC right-to-manage license, and Release 12.0 onward is Smart Licensing-only.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Support
- Cisco Solution Support with Software Support Service is included in Cisco Data Center Networking subscriptions and legacy NDFC Smart Licenses, providing Cisco TAC support, knowledge-base access, and software downloads.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Security advisory
- Cisco reported a critical NDFC arbitrary command-execution vulnerability in the REST API and web UI with a base CVSS score of 9.9.sec.cloudapps.cisco.com · 1 Oct 2026
Best Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller alternatives
See all 20 All accessCh 01 .NETMicrosoft WindowsLinux 7.4 All accessCh 02 ONOS Free planAPILinux Free to start7.4 All accessCh 03 TP-Link Omada Cloud-Based Controller Free planAndroidiOS Free to start7.2 All accessCh 04 VMware Workstation Pro Free planLinuxself-hosted Free to start7.2 All accessCh 05 Antrea Free planAPILinux Free to start6.9 All accessCh 06 Cilium Free planLinuxself-hosted Free to start6.9
Where it ranks on Specifiction
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Sources
- cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/cloud-syste· checked 1 Oct 2026
- dcappcenter.cisco.com/nexus-dashboard-fabric-controller-2-2-1· checked 1 Oct 2026
- cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/cloud-syste· checked 1 Oct 2026
- cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/cloud-syste· checked 1 Oct 2026
- sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAd· checked 1 Oct 2026
- cisco.com/site/us/en/products/networking/software· checked 1 Oct 2026