ntc-templates

What it is and what it does

ntc-templates is a collection of TextFSM parsing templates designed to extract structured data from network device CLI output. It wraps TextFSM's CliTable functionality in Python, making it easier to apply pre-built templates to command responses from routers, switches, and other network equipment. The package bundles templates for many common network devices and operating systems, eliminating the need to write custom TextFSM patterns for routine parsing tasks.

The library is intended for network automation, monitoring, and reporting workflows where you need to convert unstructured CLI text into structured data for further processing. It's maintained by Network to Code and sits in the top 5000 PyPI packages by download volume, indicating active use in network operations and infrastructure-as-code contexts.

Use it for:

• Parse output from network device show commands into structured dictionaries for inventory or monitoring systems.
• Extract device configuration or state data from CLI output in automated network audits or compliance checks.
• Build data pipelines that consume raw CLI text from network devices and feed structured results into databases or analytics tools.
• Integrate network device CLI parsing into Python-based network automation workflows without writing custom TextFSM patterns.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Provides a repository of TextFSM templates for parsing network device CLI output, along with a Python wrapper around TextFSM's CliTable to simplify structured data extraction from command-line text.

Yes. Low install friction, active maintenance, permissive license, and no known vulnerabilities make it a safe choice. Install it if you're automating network device interactions and need to parse CLI output; skip it if your workflow doesn't involve network devices or if you're already using a higher-level framework that handles parsing internally.

Install

ntc-templates on PyPI

pip install ntc-templates

uv add ntc-templates

poetry add ntc-templates

Installing ntc-templates

Before you install

Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (textfsm). Active maintenance with a recent release 37 days ago and ongoing repository activity. Supports current Python versions (3.10 through 3.14).

License in practice

Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.

Quickstart

pip install ntc-templates

from ntc_templates.parse import parse_output

result = parse_output(device_type='cisco_ios', command='show interfaces', output=cli_text)

Requires Python 3.10 or later (3.10 through 3.14 supported).

Verify before relying

• Whether the template repository is kept current with new or updated network device models and OS versions.
• Performance characteristics when parsing large volumes of CLI output or complex command responses.
• Exact API surface and available device types supported by the parse function.

Package facts

Evidence: ntc_templates-9.2.0-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: textfsm, network parsers

Tags

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