---
id: snappi-ixnetwork
version: "1.59.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# snappi-ixnetwork — The Snappi IxNetwork Open Traffic Generator Python Package

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 78.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

snappi-ixnetwork is an extension that bridges traffic generation with IxNetwork, allowing you to write test scripts using a unified API and execute them against IxNetwork hardware or simulation. It implements the Open Traffic Generator specification, letting you define network flows, configure layer 1 and protocol properties, control traffic transmission, and collect metrics through a Python interface.

The package depends on ixnetwork-restpy to communicate with an IxNetwork API server, plus supporting libraries for IP address handling (ipaddr, netaddr, ipaddress), packet manipulation (dpkt), and testing infrastructure (pytest-cov, allure-pytest). It is actively developed and production-ready, supporting Python 3.9 through 3.13.

Use it for:

- Automate network traffic testing workflows by scripting flow configuration, transmission, and metric collection against IxNetwork
- Write portable traffic generation tests that can run against multiple Open Traffic Generator implementations
- Validate network device behavior under specific traffic patterns by configuring flows with precise packet counts, rates, and protocol headers
- Integrate traffic generation into CI/CD pipelines for automated network performance and correctness testing
- Collect and validate frame transmission and reception metrics to verify network flow behavior matches expectations

## Worth the install?

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

Executes traffic generation test scripts against IxNetwork, Keysight's implementation of the Open Traffic Generator specification, using a unified Python API.

Yes, if you need to automate traffic generation testing against IxNetwork and want a specification-based API. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries permissive MIT licensing, and supports Python 3.9 through 3.13. Requires an IxNetwork API server to be available and properly configured.

## Install

pip install snappi-ixnetwork
uv add snappi-ixnetwork
poetry add snappi-ixnetwork

## Installing snappi-ixnetwork

Before you install: Low install friction; pure Python wheel with no compiled dependencies. Repository is actively maintained with a recent release (8 days old) and ongoing commits. Supports modern Python versions 3.9 through 3.13.

License in practice: MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.

Quickstart:

pip install snappi-ixnetwork

import snappi
api = snappi.api(location='https://localhost:443', ext='ixnetwork')
config = api.config()
tx, rx = config.ports.port(name='tx', location='192.168.0.1;2;1').port(name='rx', location='192.168.0.1;2;2')
api.set_config(config)

Requires access to an IxNetwork API server instance running at the specified location; cannot function standalone without it.

Verify before relying:

- Whether ixnetwork-restpy requires a separate IxNetwork server installation or licensing
- Specific IxNetwork versions supported by this extension
- Whether all runtime dependencies (flake8, black, pytest-cov, build) are required at runtime or only for development

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 78.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

traffic generation testing, ixnetwork automation, open traffic generator, network flow testing, test traffic scripting, network performance testing, ixnetwork restpy, network-testing, traffic-generation, ixnetwork

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