CLI Parser

Active Rust

Concept

Parsing engine for network device CLI output. Transforms semi-structured text (show commands, routing tables, BGP summaries) into structured data (JSON/YAML) using an optimized Rust state machine. Provides full compatibility with the industry-standard ntc-templates library while offering 10–50x faster execution than Python-based alternatives like TextFSM.

Features

Rust parsing engine with pre-compiled regex patterns and non-backtracking execution
First-class ntc-templates compatibility plus a clean YAML/TOML template format
Interactive TUI debugger (ratatui) for real-time template testing against device output
Zero-copy parsing for minimal overhead during large-scale processing
Thread-safe design for concurrent parsing across multiple device outputs

Quick Facts


Status	Active
Stack	Rust

# Core Value

Enable rapid, reliable extraction of network state. The engine is built for speed and correctness, ensuring that automation pipelines can process device data with sub-millisecond latency and high structural accuracy.

Use Cases

Real-time Monitoring: Parse show commands in high-frequency polling cycles for telemetry and health checks.
Inventory Discovery: Automatically extract device details, interface states, and hardware versions for asset management.
Pre-deployment Validation: Verify the current state of a network before pushing configuration changes to ensure safety.
Automated Troubleshooting: Rapidly analyze complex outputs like routing tables or BGP summaries during incident response.

Technical Depth

The engine is built on a custom regex-based state machine implemented in Rust. It utilizes pre-compiled patterns and a non-backtracking execution model to ensure deterministic performance even with complex multi-state templates.

Stack: Rust, regex crate for optimized matching, ratatui for the TUI debugger.
Parallelism: Thread-safe design allowing for concurrent parsing of multiple device outputs across all available CPU cores.
Validation: Strict schema enforcement ensuring that parsed output always matches the expected data structure.