Cisco Catalyst Center vs NetKeep
Cisco Catalyst Center
cisco.comNetKeep
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Cisco Catalyst Center | NetKeep |
|---|---|---|
| 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 · Network Configuration Management Software | 7.8 (#11) | 7.4 (#19) |
| Access controls | It supports predefined and custom fine-grained user roles, including administrator, network administrator, and observer roles. | The product offers owner, administrator, operator, and reader roles, plus optional TOTP two-factor authentication and passkeys. |
| Deployment requirements | The Ubuntu KVM virtual appliance minimums include 32 vCPUs, 256 GiB of memory, and a 3-TB SSD. | Installation requires a Linux amd64 or arm64 server, Docker Engine 25 or newer, Docker Compose plugin 2.24 or newer, and persistent storage. |
| Integrations | Cisco documents integrations with ISE, ThousandEyes, Webex, Microsoft Teams, ServiceNow, Infoblox, and BlueCat, plus generic APIs for other ITSM and IPAM systems. | NetKeep supports read-only inventory synchronization with LibreNMS and NetBox. |
| Purpose | Cisco Catalyst Center is a centralized network controller and management dashboard for enterprise network operations. | NetKeep collects, versions, compares, and protects network device configurations for ISPs and infrastructure teams. |
| Support | Cisco says Catalyst and Cisco DNA software subscriptions include embedded software support and downloads; opening a support case requires a Cisco Service Contract. | Community support is best-effort with no SLA; commercial implementation, migration, or operational support is arranged by email. |
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.
NetKeep
NetKeep is a free, open-source, self-hosted system for collecting, versioning, comparing, and protecting network-device configurations. It uses Oxidized 0.37.0 to gather configurations and keeps each version in permanent Git history. Teams can search, download, and compare revisions with unified or side-by-side diffs. Read-only inventory synchronization is available with LibreNMS and NetBox. Notifications can be sent by email, signed webhook, or Telegram. Full backups may be encrypted and stored locally or in S3-compatible services, with private Git mirroring as another option. Roles include owner, administrator, operator, and reader; optional TOTP two-factor authentication and passkeys are supported. Safe mode exports and compares configurations without applying changes, although arbitrary Ruby or unreviewed drivers reduce that assurance. Installation needs a Linux amd64 or arm64 server, Docker Engine 25+, Docker Compose plugin 2.24+, and persistent storage. The product is on-premises under AGPL-3.0.