---
id: f5-icontrol-rest
version: "1.3.13"
license: Apache License, Version 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# f5-icontrol-rest — F5 BIG-IP iControl REST API client

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 182.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

f5-icontrol-rest is a low-level Python client for the F5 BIG-IP iControl REST API. It wraps HTTP requests to BIG-IP management endpoints, allowing you to query and configure network devices programmatically through REST calls. The library provides an iControlRESTSession class that handles authentication and request formatting to interact with BIG-IP resources like NATs, pools, and virtual servers.

However, this package is archived and no longer maintained. The project's own documentation explicitly recommends using the F5 SDK instead for new work. The last release was in 2019, and while the repository shows recent commit activity, the package itself receives no active development. Installation carries high friction because you are adopting an unmaintained dependency for a critical infrastructure tool.

Use it for:

- Legacy automation scripts that already depend on this library and cannot be migrated to the F5 SDK
- Read-only queries against BIG-IP devices in environments where the F5 SDK is not available
- Reverse-engineering or understanding how the iControl REST API works at the HTTP level
- Maintaining existing infrastructure code that predates the F5 SDK recommendation

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

A REST API client library for interacting with F5 BIG-IP iControl REST endpoints from Python code.

No. The package is archived and explicitly superseded by the F5 SDK. Unless you are maintaining legacy code that already uses it, you should use the F5 SDK instead. The lack of maintenance since 2019 means bugs and compatibility issues will not be fixed, and there is no path forward for new features or Python version support.

## Install

pip install f5-icontrol-rest
uv add f5-icontrol-rest
poetry add f5-icontrol-rest

## Installing f5-icontrol-rest

Before you install: High install friction due to the package being archived and no longer maintained since 2019. The description explicitly directs users to the F5 SDK instead. No runtime dependencies, but the lack of active maintenance is a significant concern for new projects.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0 (permissive). You may use, modify, and distribute the package freely provided you include the license notice and disclaim warranties.

Quickstart:

pip install f5-icontrol-rest

from icontrol.session import iControlRESTSession
icr_session = iControlRESTSession('myuser', 'mypass')
icr_session.get('https://bigip.example.com/mgmt/tm/ltm/nat', name='mynat', partition='Common')

Requires network access to a BIG-IP device with iControl REST API enabled; no Python version guarantee due to unmaintained status.

Verify before relying:

- Whether this package works with current BIG-IP API versions despite being unmaintained since 2019
- Compatibility with modern Python versions (python_support unspecified in metadata)
- Whether the F5 SDK mentioned in the description is a direct replacement or requires code changes

## Package facts

- License: Apache License, Version 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 182.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

F5 BIG-IP REST API client, iControl REST Python library, F5 device automation, BIG-IP REST API wrapper, iControl session management, F5 network device control, REST API client F5, archived, deprecated, f5-networks

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