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Cisco Catalyst Center vs Netmiko

Cisco Catalyst Center

cisco.com

Netmiko

github.com

Side by side

FigureCisco Catalyst CenterNetmiko
Price from—Free
Free plan—Yes
Free trial——
Open source——
WebYes—
WindowsYes—
macOSYes—
LinuxYesYes
APIYesYes
Self-hostedYes—
Plans published21
Spec score · Network Automation Software7.8 (#10)7.9 (#9)
AutomationIt supports network discovery, zero-touch provisioning, software image management, configuration compliance checks, and remediation.It is designed to gather output from show commands and make configuration changes while abstracting away low-level device state handling.
IntegrationsCisco documents integrations with ISE, ThousandEyes, Webex, Microsoft Teams, ServiceNow, Infoblox, and BlueCat, plus generic APIs for other ITSM and IPAM systems.The examples include TextFSM and Genie parsers, plus device type autodetection using SSH and SNMP.
PurposeCisco Catalyst Center is a centralized network controller and management dashboard for enterprise network operations.Netmiko is a multi-vendor library that simplifies CLI connections to network devices.
SupportCisco says Catalyst and Cisco DNA software subscriptions include embedded software support and downloads; opening a support case requires a Cisco Service Contract.The README directs users to GitHub issues for bugs and feature requests and to a Slack #netmiko channel for questions and discussion.

Plans

Cisco Catalyst Center

  • Cisco DNA AdvantagePriced on request
  • Cisco DNA EssentialsPriced on request

Cisco Catalyst Center pricing →

Netmiko

  • NetmikoFree

Netmiko pricing →

In their own words

Cisco Catalyst Center

Cisco Catalyst Center has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.

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Netmiko

Netmiko is a free Python library for connecting to network devices and automating command-line tasks. It simplifies SSH connections and also documents supported Telnet device types. The library can collect output from show commands and make configuration changes while handling low-level device state. Its device list spans vendors and separates platforms by regular, limited, and experimental testing status. Regularly tested examples include Arista vEOS, Cisco IOS variants and NX-OS, Juniper Junos, and Linux. Documentation shows how to install with pip, connect to devices, run commands such as “show ip int brief,” and send configuration command sets that enter configuration mode. The project also links to API documentation, a secure copy tutorial, and guidance on using TextFSM. Optional extras support the bulk-encryption CLI and compatibility with Paramiko 4. Netmiko Tools can encrypt sensitive YAML values using Fernet or AES128; the guidance recommends protecting the key and keeping it out of version control. The project uses the MIT license, with bug reports and feature requests directed to GitHub issues.

Visit github.com