ncclient
Python library for NETCONF clients
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. ncclient is a mature, actively maintained library with no known vulnerabilities, permissive Apache-2.0 licensing, and low install friction. It is the standard Python NETCONF client for network automation and device management. Install it if you need to programmatically manage NETCONF-capable network devices; the only prerequisite is having libxml2 and libxslt system libraries available.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires libxml2 and libxslt system libraries (libxml2-dev and libxslt1-dev on Debian/Ubuntu); SSH access to a NETCONF-enabled device on port 830.
- Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution.
- Active maintenance with a recent release and ongoing repository activity.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache-2.0 (permissive) — Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing use in commercial and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions beyond attribution.
last release 2026-03-15 (152 days) · last repo commit 2026-04-11 · 737 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 938,252 downloads/mo, #4,687 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install ncclient
from ncclient import manager
with manager.connect(host=host, port=830, username=user, hostkey_verify=False) as m:
config = m.get_config(source='running').data_xml
print(config)- Production readiness and maturity level of device handler implementations across all supported vendors.
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for large-scale device management operations.
- Current test coverage percentage and CI/CD pipeline status beyond the mention of increased test coverage in v0.6.10.
What it is and what it does
ncclient provides a Python API for building NETCONF clients that communicate with network devices using the NETCONF protocol over SSH. It abstracts the complexity of NETCONF message framing, XML parsing, and RPC handling, allowing developers to retrieve device configuration, execute commands, and manage network state programmatically. The library includes device-specific handlers for major vendors including Juniper, Cisco, Huawei, Alcatel Lucent, Ciena, H3C, and HP Comware, which adapt NETCONF behavior to vendor-specific extensions and quirks.
The package depends on lxml for XML processing and paramiko for SSH transport. It supports Python 3.7 through 3.13 and is actively maintained. Common use cases include fetching running configuration from devices, executing RPC operations, subscribing to NETCONF notifications, and integrating device management into automation workflows. The library handles NETCONF 1.0 and 1.1 protocol versions and includes support for call-home and YANG 1.1 actions.
Use it for
- Retrieve and backup running configuration from network devices via NETCONF get-config operations.
- Automate network device configuration changes by sending edit-config RPC operations programmatically.
- Subscribe to device notifications and events via NETCONF subscriptions for real-time monitoring.
- Build multi-vendor network management tools using device handlers to normalize vendor-specific behavior.
- Integrate NETCONF operations into infrastructure-as-code or network automation pipelines.
- Execute vendor-specific RPC operations through a unified Python interface.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
ncclient is a mature, actively maintained library with no known vulnerabilities, permissive Apache-2.0 licensing, and low install friction. It is the standard Python NETCONF client for network automation and device management. Install it if you need to programmatically manage NETCONF-capable network devices; the only prerequisite is having libxml2 and libxslt system libraries available.
Install
ncclient on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. Active maintenance with a recent release and ongoing repository activity. Depends on lxml and paramiko, both stable and widely-used libraries.
Requires libxml2 and libxslt system libraries (libxml2-dev and libxslt1-dev on Debian/Ubuntu); SSH access to a NETCONF-enabled device on port 830.
License in practice
Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing use in commercial and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions beyond attribution.
Quickstart
pip install ncclient
from ncclient import manager
with manager.connect(host=host, port=830, username=user, hostkey_verify=False) as m:
config = m.get_config(source='running').data_xml
print(config)Verify before relying
- Production readiness and maturity level of device handler implementations across all supported vendors.
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for large-scale device management operations.
- Current test coverage percentage and CI/CD pipeline status beyond the mention of increased test coverage in v0.6.10.
Package facts
| License | Apache-2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packageslxmlparamiko |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 152 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 938,252 / month, #4,687 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: System :: Networking |
Evidence: ncclient-0.7.1-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “NETCONF protocol implementation”
- ncclientncclient is a Python library that implements NETCONF client…
- netconf-clientA NETCONF client library for Python that enables SSH and TLS…
- netconf-console2A command-line and interactive console tool for sending NETCONF RPC…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Python Modules packages
Converts domain names between Unicode and ASCII-compatible encoding (Punycode) according to IDNA 2008 and Unicode Technical Standard 46, with security validation and broader script coverage than the standard library.
Install it if you work with internationalized domain names, need to validate domains, or use HTTP clients that depend on it transitively.
Setuptools is a Python build backend and package management tool that handles building, distributing, and installing Python packages, including support for C/C++ extension modules.
PyYAML parses and emits YAML 1.1 data format, enabling serialization and deserialization of configuration files and Python objects to and from human-readable YAML text.
Pydantic validates Python data structures against type hints, coercing and checking input at runtime to ensure it matches a declared schema.
Provides reusable metadata objects for use with PEP-593 `typing.Annotated` to express common constraints like bounds, collection sizes, and predicates on types.
Install it if you use or build libraries that need to express type constraints in a standardized, inspectable way—or if you want to annotate your own types with…
Provides runtime tools to inspect and introspect Python type annotations, enabling programmatic examination of type hints at execution time.
See also junos-eznc · netconf-client · netconf-console2 · scrapli · pygnmi · yang.connector · python-nmap · napalm · pynetbox · pyats.connections