Cisco NSO vs Ansible – What’s the Difference?
Automation in network operation is seen as a fundamental strategy in modern and efficient IT systems. Thus, with modern complex networks, the demands for distributed, optimized, and accurate control remain one of the most urgent and challenging. In response to these requirements, two widespread tools, Cisco NSO, and Ansible, first appeared as prominent solutions equipped with potent automation that could enable organizations to manage network configurations, reduce errors, and increase efficiency. However, as you have seen, the two tools are differently designed, each serving different functions in the automation industry. Thus, it is crucial for you to understand the difference between Cisco NSO and Ansible. In this blog, we are going to discuss and compare all critical aspects of Cisco NSO vs Ansible. It is essential that you understand these differences in order to make the right decision on which solution to use, depending on your organization’s needs, to achieve the best results of automating the infrastructure for your organization. If you prefer NSO, you can also join Cisco NSO Training by PyNet Labs. First, let us understand the difference between Cisco NSO and Ansible in detail. Comparing Cisco NSO vs Ansible, we will find that both of them are quite powerful and have their own features. However, one or another tool will be more appropriate depending on the scale of the automating task. The strong suit of Cisco NSO is offered for application in complicated large networks that are adequate to require extra potent handling and real-time response. It is the very best when it is in multi-vendor territory. Comparatively, Ansible is a more flexible tool for almost any task of IT automation, including network automation, due to its simplicity and no need for additional agents to be installed on devices. By realizing these differences, you will be in a position to quickly tell which tool fits perfectly with the automation objectives of your organization as well as the infrastructure support available. Below, we have discussed Cisco NSO vs Ansible in a tabular form based on different factors. Now that we have a basic understanding of Cisco NSO vs Ansible. Let us move on to another section where we will discuss Cisco NSO and Ansible in detail along with their features and benefits. Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO) is a reliable and flexible self-service network automation software built purposefully for large-scale and complex networks. Designed for high-end organizations, Cisco NSO provides network administrators the ability to effectively manage complex network processes such as the configuration, provisioning, and management of network devices. Some of the major products include its capability to support multiple vendors’ network devices to achieve a unified solution for maintaining multi-vendor networks. Cisco NSO also has real-time updates with synchronizations, thus preventing configuration inconsistencies and providing quick information feedback on networks and devices to guarantee service availability. The presented high degree of integration and automation pays off the most in conditions when a highly stable and scalable network with significant operational flexibility is required, which is the case with Cisco NSO. From operating large-scale device estates to the choreographing of higher-end network services, the solution offers the granularity and other structural characteristics required to cope with modern, complex, dynamic nets. Ansible is an open-source, powerful engine for IT automation that helps in automating various processes like software provisioning, configuration management, application deployment, and many more. Although it is popular as a general IT automation tool, Ansible has received tremendous popularity in the field of network automation. This growth may be due to all the easy-to-use integrations and the general flexibility that IT teams are looking for in an automation tool. The most significant advantage of Ansible is the absence of the need for possessing any agents or extra software on the side of the managed devices. However, integration with servers uses only standard SSH or API connections, making configuration and possible security vulnerabilities much simpler. Due to Ansible’s simple and Declarative language use, means that with magical language, one is able to set the necessary configurations he requires and then leave the repetitive work to Ansible, and this will help to minimize chances of human errors. In general, we can state that Ansible is perfect for organizations that aim to increase their operational excellence and demand more control over network surroundings. By default, Ansible ships with several connection plugins. The most commonly used are the paramiko SSH, native SSH, and local connection types. All of these can be used in playbooks and with /usr/bin/ansible to decide how you want to talk to remote machines. It is an automation platform that is capable of deployment of applications, configuration and monitoring management, security management, and automating cloud provisioning and deployment. NSO automates the entire end-to-end service provisioning process. It encompasses all network devices and resources, VNFs, applications, and network services both at the level of coarse-grained service intent and fine-grained run-time configurations. The NSO RESTCONF API runs playbooks on Ansible, which is what best describes the integration between these two technologies. If we compare Cisco NSO vs Ansible, then it can be clearly seen that these tools are best suited for the execution of different tasks. Cisco NSO is a network automation tool targeted toward network engineers working in large multivendor networks where there is a need for a higher level of control and real-time configuration. However, Ansible is a very fitting solution for teams that are looking for a general ELT automation tool. It does not tie one down with a model-driven approach such as Puppet but handles generic tasks such as network configurations. It means that your decision, depending on which of these two tools you will use, must be based on your needs, the complexity of your network, and the amount of money you are willing to spend. While smaller organizations and those with less complex networks that primarily focus on service management would benefit from Cisco Prime, organizations dealing with large complex networks with a larger concentration on managing services should consider Cisco NSO. However, if the focus is made on usability, versatility, and cost, then Ansible is simply perfect.Introduction
Cisco NSO vs Ansible: A Detailed Comparison
1. Architecture difference between Cisco NSO and Ansible
Feature Cisco NSO Ansible Architecture Type Model-driven, with a strong focus on multi-vendor support Push-based, agentless, and open-source Device Support Multi-vendor with deep device integration Supports various network and IT devices via modules Service-Level Automation Provides end-to-end service orchestration across devices Lacks comprehensive service orchestration capabilities Network Focus Primarily for network automation General-purpose automation with growing network support Real-time Configuration Yes, offers real-time changes and rollback functionality No, but configurations can be managed via playbooks 2. Scalability
Feature Cisco NSO Ansible Scaling Across Networks Designed for large-scale, multi-vendor network automation Scalable but depends on external integrations for large-scale Ideal Network Size Best for enterprise and service provider networks Suitable for small to medium-sized enterprises Integration Flexibility Seamless integration with Cisco products Highly flexible due to open-source nature 3. Ease of Use and Learning Curve
Feature Cisco NSO Ansible Learning Curve Steep, requires deep knowledge of networking and YANG models Easy, designed with simplicity and beginner-friendliness in mind User Experience Complex but offers comprehensive features for network experts Simple, with a focus on YAML scripts and minimal coding Documentation & Community Professional support from Cisco Large and active open-source community 4. Configuration Management
Feature Cisco NSO Ansible Methodology Real-time, model-driven configuration management Configuration managed via playbooks and YAML files Version Control Built-in rollback and recovery mechanisms Requires external tools for version control Error Handling Detailed transaction-based error handling Basic error handling through task execution logs 5. Vendor Lock-In
Feature Cisco NSO Ansible Vendor Dependency Primarily focused on Cisco ecosystems Open-source, no vendor lock-in Open-Source Availability No, proprietary to Cisco Yes, with extensive open-source modules available 6. Cost and Support
Feature Cisco NSO Ansible Cost Paid, enterprise-level pricing Free for open-source, with a paid enterprise version Support Backed by Cisco’s professional support Community-driven support with options for enterprise support What is Cisco NSO?
Key Features of Cisco NSO
Key Benefits of Cisco NSO
What is Ansible?
Key Features of Ansible
Key Benefits of Ansible
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What type of connection is Ansible?
Q2. What is Ansible in CCNA?
Q3. Why Cisco NSO used for?
Q4. What best describes Ansible and NSO integrations?
Conclusion
