RESTCONF
RESTCONF brings network device management to the HTTP/JSON world. Most modern network OSes (Cisco IOS-XE 16.6+, Junos 17.3+, Nokia SR-OS) support it. If you prefer REST over SSH/XML for network automation, this is your interface.
What It Defines
RESTCONF provides a REST-based HTTP interface to NETCONF datastores and operations. Maps YANG models to HTTP resources (GET/POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE), uses JSON or XML for data encoding, and supports Server-Sent Events for notifications. Easier to use than NETCONF/SSH for application developers integrating with network equipment.
Canonical (Normative)
Convenient (Practical)
The canonical publication point for finalized RFCs. If a protocol is standardized as an RFC, the RFC Editor text is the normative final reference. Published by the IETF, IRTF, IAB, and independent stream.
Related Specs
NETCONF replaced manual CLI for network device configuration in most modern SD-WAN, carrier, and enterprise deployments. Understanding datastores, capabilities, and YANG-driven RPC is essential for network automation.
YANG is to NETCONF what JSON Schema is to REST APIs — it describes the data model. Any network automation work with modern devices (Juniper, Cisco IOS-XR, Nokia SR-OS) requires reading and writing YANG models.
gNMI is replacing SNMP for modern network monitoring: lower latency, higher efficiency, native streaming telemetry. Arista, Cisco (IOS-XR, IOS-XE), Juniper, and Nokia all support gNMI. Key for network observability pipelines (Telegraf, gnmic).