Introduction

The Cisco Nexus Dashboard is a centralized management platform that is designed to oversee multiple data center sites. It hosts Cisco’s data center operational applications within a unified environment. With Nexus Dashboard, you gain real-time analytics and configuration compliance. The platform also delivers enhanced visibility and assurance for network policies and operations across distributed environments.

Built on a modern, microservices-based architecture, Nexus Dashboard provides a standardized platform that streamlines application lifecycle management and minimizes operational complexity. Serving as a central hub, the dashboard integrates Cisco applications and also supports external third-party applications. This extensibility and functionality make Nexus Dashboard a versatile solution for diverse environments.

The Nexus Dashboard REST API provides a programmatic interface that adheres to RESTful architecture. It facilitates communication through HTTP or HTTPS and uses JSON for both requests and responses. This makes the API compatible with any programming language that can generate the required JSON payloads. This includes support for API methods or Managed Object (MO) descriptions.

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

The API reflects this unified architecture by consolidating features into a cohesive framework. The design organizes four collections, with each one aligning to specific functionality and automation workflows. Each collection has its own versioning to provide flexibility and maintain compatibility. Every API includes a security section that lists the roles allowed to perform each RESTful API method. It also provides the corresponding role names for configuration 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 multi-cluster 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). They provide early access to upcoming capabilities. You can test these APIs, evaluate their features, and share feedback before the APIs reach 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. While these APIs are fully functional and supported for development use, breaking changes can occur without prior notice during this phase.

In release 4.2, 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. These APIs automate key administrative tasks, such as cluster configuration, system settings, node management, and application lifecycle management. They also include third-party integrations for the cluster.

  • Manage -- The Manage API provides resources that offer a comprehensive programmatic interface for efficiently managing and operating diverse fabric types. These include Data Center VXLAN (iBGP or eBGP) EVPN, Campus VXLAN EVPN, Routed, AI, External, ISN, IP Fabric for Media (IPFM), and classic LAN. Within these fabric types, the API allows you to manage hundreds of switches, interfaces, VRFs, networks, and additional policies.

  • One Manage -- The OneManage API provides resources for managing and operating across multiple clusters and fabrics. It provides seamless coordination of configurations and clear visibility across complex, distributed data center environments. It is useful when combining multiple Nexus Dashboard or ACI clusters, or both, to manage a large number of fabrics, switches, and VXLAN EVPN multi-site environments. It is designed to simplify operations in scenarios involving all-clusters view and multi-cluster fabric configurations for multi-site VRFs and networks.

  • Analyze -- The Analyze API provides resources for analytics that span your managed resources. It enables access to real-time telemetry and anomaly detection. You can also use it for analytics and insights. These features facilitate effective troubleshooting, support informed decision-making, and help with report generation across various data center network sites and types.

  • Orchestrator API -- Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO) uses Orchestrator APIs for multi-site and multi-fabric management.

    The Orchestration API provides centralized network and policy management across Cisco ACI, Cloud ACI, and Nexus Dashboard sites. It streamlines multi-fabric operations for distributed data centers. This approach also improves scalability 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).

    This release continues to support these Legacy APIs for backward compatibility, but Cisco has deprecated them. Cisco may remove support for these Legacy APIs in a future release. Certain 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.

    The following are the Legacy APIs as of Nexus Dashboard release 4.2.1:

    • 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, 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.