Cisco Catalyst Center vs FluxDHCP
Cisco Catalyst Center
cisco.comFluxDHCP
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Cisco Catalyst Center | FluxDHCP |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · DHCP Management Software | 7.8 (#9) | 8.3 (#6) |
| Deployment | Cisco describes hardware and virtual appliance deployments, including current guides for VMware ESXi and Ubuntu KVM. | The README recommends Docker Compose and also documents manual installation with Node.js and npm. |
| Purpose | Cisco Catalyst Center is a centralized network controller and management dashboard for enterprise network operations. | FluxDHCP is a lightweight, self-hosted DHCPv4 server with a web management UI. |
| Security | Catalyst Center supports FIPS 140-2-compliant cryptography modules, and Cisco recommends deploying it behind a firewall on a private internal network. | The project lists Origin header validation for API mutations, SSRF-protected webhook URLs, and IP format validation. |
Plans
Cisco Catalyst Center
- Cisco DNA AdvantagePriced on request
- Cisco DNA EssentialsPriced on request
In their own words
Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Catalyst Center has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
FluxDHCP
FluxDHCP is a free, self-hosted DHCPv4 server managed through a web interface. It supports the DHCPv4 message types listed for RFC 2131, from discovery and address requests to acknowledgments, releases and other listed operations. Administrators can define address pools with subnet ranges, gateways, DNS servers, netmasks and lease times, choose sequential or random allocation, and check for overlapping pools. Static MAC-to-IP reservations and per-device DHCP option overrides are supported. Lease records track offered, bound, released and expired states, with automatic cleanup for expired entries. A packet logger records transaction details, direction, raw options, client information and millisecond timestamps. Webhooks can send DHCP events to external services by HTTP POST or GET, with template variables and custom headers. Configuration can be imported or exported as JSON, and imported changes are hot-reloaded. The project is AGPL-3.0 licensed and supports English and Chinese, dark mode and a responsive mobile-friendly interface. It requires Node.js 20 or later; Docker Compose is recommended, and binding UDP port 67 requires root or administrator privileges.