Automation

All NDCLI commands support multiple output formats via the -f flag, making it straightforward to integrate NetDefense into scripts, pipelines, and automation workflows.

Output Formats

Format	Flag	Use Case
Table	-f table (default)	Human-readable aligned columns, ideal for terminal use.
Simple	-f simple	Compact key-value output, useful for quick inspection.
Detailed	-f detailed	Expanded view with all fields and relationships.
JSON	-f json	Machine-readable output for scripting and automation.

JSON Output Example

ndcli device list -f json

{
  "devices": [
    {
      "uuid": "e2eb98b8-0ed3-11f1-8792-66a021937fa2",
      "name": "fw-hq-primary",
      "status": "ENABLED",
      "organization": "example-org",
      "organizational_units": ["production"],
      "version": "2.4.1",
      "heartbeat": "2026-02-21T03:17:31Z",
      "auto_sync": true,
      "synced_at": "2026-02-21T03:16:43Z"
    }
  ],
  "total": 8
}

Scripting with jq

Tip

Combine -f json with jq to build powerful one-liners for monitoring, alerting, and automation pipelines.

# Get names of all devices not synced
ndcli sync status -f json | jq -r '.items[] | select(.in_sync == false) | .device_name'

# Count devices per OU
ndcli device list -f json | jq -r '.devices[].organizational_units[]' | sort | uniq -c

# Get overlay IPs for all VPN members
ndcli network member list corporate-vpn -f json | jq -r '.members[] | "\(.device): \(.overlay_ip)"'