Introduction

The Cisco Nexus Dashboard is a centralized platform for managing multiple data center sites. It hosts Cisco data center operational applications in a unified environment. With Nexus Dashboard, you gain analytics in real time, configuration compliance, and enhanced visibility and assurance for network policies and operations across distributed environments.

Built on a modern, microservices-based architecture, Nexus Dashboard streamlines application lifecycle management and reduces operational complexity. The dashboard serves as a central hub that integrates Cisco applications and supports external third-party applications. Its integration options make Nexus Dashboard suitable for diverse environments.

The Nexus Dashboard REST API provides a programmatic interface that follows RESTful architecture. The API communicates through HTTP or HTTPS and uses JSON for requests and responses. As a result, you can use any programming language that generates the required JSON payloads. The API supports API methods and Managed Object (MO) descriptions.

The API is integral to the Nexus Dashboard graphical user interface (GUI). Through the API, you can retrieve all information that is displayed in the GUI and apply all configuration changes available in the GUI.

The API reflects the unified Nexus Dashboard architecture by consolidating features into one framework. The design organizes four collections, and each collection aligns with specific functionality and automation workflows. Independent versioning for each collection provides flexibility and maintains compatibility. Every API includes a security section that lists the roles that are allowed to perform each RESTful API method and the corresponding role names to configure as attribute-value (AV) pairs in a remote authorization server.

Nexus Dashboard APIs enable you to:

  • Manage Nexus and non-Nexus devices.
  • Configure switches, overlays (VRFs and networks), and interfaces.
  • Manage multicluster configuration and lifecycle across different availability zones.
  • Create custom NetOps dashboards for alerts and telemetry.

General Availability APIs

Early Access APIs (or the unified product APIs) are in-development interfaces available to developers before general availability (GA). Early Access APIs provide access to upcoming capabilities. You can test the APIs, evaluate their features, and share feedback before final stabilization.

APIs labeled as (Early Access) may undergo backward-incompatible changes or schema updates before their GA release. For example, APIs introduced in version 4.1 as Early Access stabilized as GA in version 4.2.1 and later. Although Early Access APIs are fully functional and supported for development use, breaking changes can occur without prior notice before GA.

In release 4.2.1 and later, the Infra, Manage, One Manage, and Analyze API groups are GA. The Orchestration API is also GA.

Note: If your integration requires long-term stability, use GA APIs. Revalidate your integrations after each software release.

  • Infra -- The Infra API provides resources that primarily manage the core infrastructure of the Nexus Dashboard cluster. Infra API automates key administrative tasks, such as cluster configuration, system settings, node management, and application lifecycle management. The APIs also include third-party integrations for the cluster.

  • Manage -- The Manage API provides a programmatic interface for managing and operating diverse fabric types: Data Center VXLAN (iBGP or eBGP) EVPN, Campus VXLAN EVPN, Routed, AI, External, ISN, IP Fabric for Media (IPFM), and classic LAN. Within the supported fabric types, you can manage hundreds of switches, interfaces, VRFs, networks, and additional policies.

  • One Manage -- The One Manage API provides resources for managing operations across multiple clusters and fabrics. The API coordinates configurations and provides visibility across complex, distributed data center environments. Use it to combine multiple Nexus Dashboard clusters, ACI clusters, or both, and manage many fabrics, switches, and VXLAN EVPN multisite environments. One Manage simplifies operations for the all-clusters view and multicluster fabric configurations for multisite VRFs and networks.

  • Analyze -- The Analyze API provides analytics across your managed resources, including telemetry in real time, anomaly detection, and insights. Analyze API features help you troubleshoot problems, make informed decisions, and generate reports across data center network sites and types.

  • Orchestration API -- Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO) uses Orchestration APIs for multisite and multifabric management.

    The Orchestration API provides centralized network and policy management across Cisco ACI, Cloud ACI, and Nexus Dashboard sites. It streamlines multifabric operations for distributed data centers, improves the ability to scale, and supports disaster recovery.

  • Legacy APIs -- The Nexus Dashboard platform previously used Legacy APIs for infrastructure, Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) for LAN and SAN environments, and Nexus Dashboard Insights (NDI).

    Nexus Dashboard release 4.3.1 continues to support Legacy APIs for backward compatibility, but Cisco has deprecated them. Cisco may remove Legacy API support in a future release. Breaking changes may affect compatibility with older integrations. Migrate to the new API collections (Infra, Manage, Analyze, One Manage) for continued support in future releases.

    Nexus Dashboard release 4.3.1 includes the Legacy APIs in the list:

    • Nexus Dashboard
    • LAN
    • SAN
    • Insights

Additional Details and Future Plans

While all of the APIs described above are available in Nexus Dashboard release 4.2.1 and later, Cisco plans to deprecate and sunset the legacy APIs in a future release.

For detailed information about the early access APIs lifecycle, integration of the existing legacy API automation with the new early access APIs, future deprecations, and migration procedures, see the API Architecture Changes section.