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Tech riderRev. 2 Oct 2026

Containerlab

Ch 087.2of 29 Network Simulation Software
  1. 1Runs onAPI, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
  2. 2CostsFree plan
  3. 3Deploymentself hosted
  4. 4Configuration managementYes
  5. 5Workflow orchestrationYes
  6. 6Network testingYes
  7. 7Supported platformsNokia SR Linux/SR OS/SR-SIM, Cisco XRd/XRv/XRv9k/CSR1000v/Nexus 9000v/Catalyst 9000v/IOL/ASAv/FTDv, Juniper cRPD/cSRX/vMX/vQFX/vSRX/vJunos, Arista, SONiC, Cumulus VX, VyOS, FRR, VPP, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, OpenWRT, Linux containers, generic VMs, and more
7 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: containerlab.dev
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The Containerlab homepage

Overview

Containerlab is ranked #8 of 29 in network simulation software on Specifiction. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web, Windows. There is a free plan.

Containerlab plans and pricing

All plans
Containerlab Free Linux server or VM · Docker required · sudo privileges required for some operations containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026

Compared on network simulation software

Deployment
self_hostedcontainerlab.dev
Configuration management
Yescontainerlab.dev
Workflow orchestration
Yescontainerlab.dev
Network testing
Yescontainerlab.dev
Supported platforms
Nokia SR Linux/SR OS/SR-SIM, Cisco XRd/XRv/XRv9k/CSR1000v/Nexus 9000v/Catalyst 9000v/IOL/ASAv/FTDv, Juniper cRPD/cSRX/vMX/vQFX/vSRX/vJunos, Arista, SONiC, Cumulus VX, VyOS, FRR, VPP, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, OpenWRT, Linux containers, generic VMs, and morecontainerlab.dev

Facts

What it does
Containerlab is a CLI for orchestrating container based networking labs, wiring nodes into user defined topologies, and managing lab lifecycles.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Topology as code
Labs are defined declaratively in topology files that describe nodes, links, and lab settings.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Lifecycle commands
The CLI supports lab deploy, destroy, save, inspect, and graph operations.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Network OS support
Supported nodes include containerized and virtual machine based network operating systems from Nokia, Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and other vendors and projects.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Integrations
Containerlab can launch VM based routers through vrnetlab or boxen integration and can run containerlab style topologies on Kubernetes through Clabernetes.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
GUI options
The graphical interface is available as a VS Code extension, desktop app, and web app; desktop and web connect to a reachable clab-api-server.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
API
The clab-api-server performs lab lifecycle, file, terminal, capture, image, and inspection operations on the Linux host.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Platforms
The documentation describes Linux installation, Windows use through WSL, and macOS support on ARM and Intel Macs.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Security
The installer can configure sudo-less operation using a SUID binary and clab_admins group, whose members are effectively granted root-level privileges.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Requirements
The documented prerequisites include a Linux server or VM, Docker, and sudo privileges to run Containerlab.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
CI and testing
The project describes using its single binary and code based lab definitions to start topologies in CI systems, including GitLab CI and GitHub Actions.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Telemetry
Containerlab labs can be paired with telemetry stacks to validate collection, transport, and visualization workflows.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
Support
The project directs users with questions, ideas, and bug reports to its Discord community.containerlab.dev · 2 Oct 2026
License
The public GitHub repository identifies the project license as BSD-3-Clause.github.com · 2 Oct 2026

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Where it ranks on Specifiction

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