--- title: Cumulus Linux Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) «... description: Cumulus Linux's Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) is a wrapper around ifupdown2 and frr that lets network engineers configure Linux networking using familiar... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/cumulus-linux-network-command-line-utility-nclu-ipspace-net-blog-jw37mrd0v twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Cumulus Linux Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) « ipSpace.net blog | daily.dev og:description: Cumulus Linux's Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) is a wrapper around ifupdown2 and frr that lets network engineers configure Linux networking using familiar... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/cumulus-linux-network-command-line-utility-nclu-ipspace-net-blog-jw37mrd0v og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/JW37Mrd0V.png og:image:alt: Cumulus Linux Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) « ipSpace.net blog og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Cumulus Linux Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) « ipSpace.net blog **[ipSpace.net Blog](https://daily.dev/sources/ipspace)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Cumulus Linux's Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) is a wrapper around ifupdown2 and frr that lets network engineers configure Linux networking using familiar CLI patterns (net add, net del, net pending, net apply) similar to Junos or Arista EOS. Changes are staged before being applied, and net pending shows a diff of how commands translate to config file changes. NCLU has some limitations — notably it cannot modify interface files in /etc/network/interfaces.d — but it also provides unified show commands that abstract away the need to switch between vtysh and bash. Unfortunately, NCLU was deprecated in Cumulus Linux 5.x in favor of NVIDIA's own UX, and Cumulus Linux 5.x itself is now restricted to Mellanox/NVIDIA hardware, narrowing what was once a broad whitebox-compatible OS. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is Cumulus Linux NCLU and how does it work? NCLU (Network Command Line Utility) is a CLI wrapper around ifupdown2 and frr in Cumulus Linux. It lets you run commands like `net add` and `net del` to stage configuration changes, inspect them with `net pending` (which shows a diff against config files), and apply them with `net apply`. This mirrors the candidate-configuration workflow found in Junos or Arista EOS. _Network engineers evaluating Linux-based NOS workflows track tools like NCLU on daily.dev._ ### Is NCLU still available in Cumulus Linux 5.x? The `net` command is still present in Cumulus Linux 5.x but can no longer be used for configuration. NVIDIA replaced NCLU with its own NVIDIA User Experience (NVUE) tooling. Additionally, Cumulus Linux 5.x is only supported on Mellanox/NVIDIA hardware, dropping support for the broad range of whitebox and britebox switches that earlier versions supported. _Engineers navigating Cumulus Linux upgrades and NVIDIA's platform changes find relevant coverage on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Kernel-only network configuration on Linux](https://daily.dev/posts/kernel-only-network-configuration-on-linux-6if7gcr3u) · Planet Python · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [NetworkManager 1.58 Released With 464XLAT CLAT Support & GENEVE Interface](https://daily.dev/posts/networkmanager-1-58-released-with-464xlat-clat-support-geneve-interface-kdhqreknu) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Using NetworkManager to permanently set an interface administratively down](https://daily.dev/posts/using-networkmanager-to-permanently-set-an-interface-administratively-down-zmb9f3qhn) · Red Hat Developer · 4 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#networking](https://daily.dev/tags/networking) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/cumulus-linux-network-command-line-utility-nclu-ipspace-net-blog-jw37mrd0v) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Cumulus Linux Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) « ipSpace.net blog","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/cumulus-linux-network-command-line-utility-nclu-ipspace-net-blog-jw37mrd0v","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/cumulus-linux-network-command-line-utility-nclu-ipspace-net-blog-jw37mrd0v"},"datePublished":"2026-08-11T08:52:31.178Z","dateModified":"2026-08-24T07:10:45.824Z","description":"Cumulus Linux's Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) is a wrapper around ifupdown2 and frr that lets network engineers configure Linux networking using familiar...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--0_ODbtD2--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2008","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--0_ODbtD2--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2008","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"ipSpace.net Blog","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ipSpace.net Blog","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--xS7E82MT--/f_auto,q_auto/v1786438303/logos/ipspace?_a=BAMAMicg0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/ipspace"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/cumulus-linux-network-command-line-utility-nclu-ipspace-net-blog-jw37mrd0v","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"networking","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ipSpace.net Blog","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/ipspace"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Cumulus Linux Network Command Line Utility (NCLU) « ipSpace.net blog"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/cumulus-linux-network-command-line-utility-nclu-ipspace-net-blog-jw37mrd0v#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is Cumulus Linux NCLU and how does it work?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"NCLU (Network Command Line Utility) is a CLI wrapper around ifupdown2 and frr in Cumulus Linux. 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