ibcli¶

An async Python CLI for Infoblox NIOS¶

Tab-completion at every position, a live REPL, batch mode, and 1,063 commands over the WAPI. A ground-up rewrite of the original Perl ibcli, with no Perl runtime and no unmaintained SDK.

Get started Browse the commands

admin@gm.corp.example > co z a example.com          # tab-expands to: configure zone add
admin@gm.corp.example > configure zone add example.com view=Internal
  OK: configure zone add example.com view Internal
admin@gm.corp.example > show zone example.com
fqdn=example.com view=Internal

Why this port exists¶

The original Perl ibcli is roughly 13,000 lines, predates the modern NIOS WAPI, and depends on the Infoblox::* Perl SDK, which is no longer maintained.

Speaks WAPI directly

REST over ibx-nios-sdk. No Perl runtime, no legacy SDK, and async end-to-end so a slow grid-wide call never blocks the prompt.
The UX network engineers expect

Cisco-IOS-style prefix abbreviation at every position, with inline descriptions in the completion dropdown. co z a expands to configure zone add.
Scriptable three ways

-e for one-shot, a batch file for bulk change, and .ibcli.cf for silent auto-connect. -i makes a re-run after a partial failure safe.
Runs anywhere Python does

Python 3.11 or newer, Windows included. Persistent history in ~/.ibcli_history, up-arrow recall and Ctrl-R reverse search.

Quick start¶

Install the CLI:

pip install ibcli

Connect to a grid. Most NIOS deployments use a self-signed certificate, so -k is usually needed:

ibcli -k -s gm.corp.example -u admin -p 'password'

Press Tab to explore. Every keyword abbreviates to its shortest unambiguous prefix.

Full installation guide

What it covers¶

DNS

Authoritative, forward, stub and delegated zones, forward and reverse. A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, PTR, SRV, CAA, NAPTR, TLSA, HTTPS, SVCB, DNAME and ALIAS records. Host records, shared record groups, RPZ, DNS64, GSS-TSIG.
IPAM

Network views, VLAN views, ranges and VLANs. Superhosts, bulkhosts, RIR organisations, hostname policies, and IPv4 and IPv6 address inventory.
DHCP

Networks and containers (v4 and v6), shared networks, ranges, fixed addresses and failover pairs. All five filter types, option spaces and definitions, templates, and leases.
Grid

Members both pre-provisioned and online, HA pairs with VRRP, MGMT and LAN2 ports, VLAN tagging, port redundancy, NS groups, upgrade groups and restart status.
Security

Admin users, groups and roles. Auth services for LDAP, AD, RADIUS, TACACS+, SAML and certificates. Approval workflows, HSM groups, parental controls and CA certificates.
DTC and Ops

DTC servers, pools, LBDNs, monitors and topology rules. CSV import and export, grid backup and restore, support bundles, notification rules and outbound integrations.

Commands cookbook Operator playbook

Verified, not just written¶

3,284 unit tests

Run in under ten seconds against a mocked WAPI using httpx.MockTransport. No grid required, so the suite runs in CI on every push across Python 3.11, 3.12 and 3.13.
Live-grid sweep

scripts/sweep-show.sh runs every no-arg show command against a real grid and sorts each failure into friendly-usage, grid-config, or suspected bug.
Smoke harness

scripts/smoke/ builds, verifies and tears down roughly 10,000 objects across 30-plus types on a real grid, including HA pairs and port-redundant members.
Integration contracts

A suite gated on IBCLI_TEST_GRID pins the NIOS behaviours a mock cannot reproduce, such as licence case sensitivity and dict-versus-string ref returns.

See Real Grid Status for the current verification matrix.

Where to go next¶

Getting Started

Installation, your first connection, and a tour of tab completion.
User Guide

Invocation modes, the REPL, aliases, batch files and extensible attributes.
Commands

Per-domain reference, plus the cookbook and operator playbook.
Reference

WAPI object mapping, parser internals, CLI flags and troubleshooting.
Development

Architecture, adding a command, and the testing workflow.
About

Licence, third-party dependencies and credits.