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Cisco application policy infrastructure controller interfaces

Updated: April 15, 2026

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Describes the interfaces available to access or configure all functions of Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) through the application programming interface (API).

Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller interfaces are access methods that

  • enable configuration and operation of all APIC functions through the application programming interface (API)

  • provide different user interaction modes including graphical, command-line, and programmatic access, and

  • communicate with the Cisco APIC engine using REST API messages.

Available interface types

You can access APIC functions through these interface types:

  • GUI: The Cisco APIC GUI is a browser-based graphical interface to the Cisco APIC that communicates internally with the Cisco APIC engine by exchanging REST API messages. Use the GUI for large-scale configurations, deployments, and operations. The GUI enables granular policy controls, such as in-switch profiles, interface profiles, policy groups, or access entity profiles (AEPs), for automating mass fabric configuration and deployment.

  • NX-OS-style CLI: The NX-OS style command-line interface (CLI) can be used for Cisco APIC configuration, deployment, and operation. The CLI is organized in a hierarchy of command modes with the EXEC mode as the root and contains a tree of configuration sub-modes that begin with the global configuration mode. The commands available to you depend on the mode you are in.

  • REST API: The REST API accepts configuration changes and provides access to management functions for the controller. This interface is a crucial component for the GUI and CLI, and provides a touch point for automation tools, provisioning scripts, and third-party monitoring and management tools. The Cisco APIC REST API is a programmatic interface that uses REST architecture. The API accepts and returns HTTP (not enabled by default) or HTTPS messages that contain JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) or Extensible Markup Language (XML) documents. You can use any programming language to generate the messages and the JSON or XML documents that contain the API methods or managed object descriptions.

For more information about the Cisco APIC GUI, see the Cisco APIC Getting Started Guide and the Cisco APIC Basic Configuration Guide.

For important guidelines to use both the NX-OS-style CLI and the Cisco APIC GUI to configure Cisco APIC, see Limitations with mixing the user interfaces.

For more information about the REST API, see the Cisco APIC REST API Configuration Guide.