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CNI (Container Network Interface)

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CNI — the common interface between container runtimes and network plugins

OSS scale score 265.9OSS health 89Update pace 1 commits/30d
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Stars
6,118
Primary language
Go
License
Apache-2.0
Repository last updated
Sep 14, 2026

Overview

CNI (Container Network Interface) defines how runtimes invoke network plugins to configure and release interfaces, IP addresses, routes, and related resources for Linux containers. The repository contains the specification, the Go `libcni` integration library, and `cnitool`; reference bridge and loopback plugins are maintained separately.

Features and best fit

Based on official documentation; not hands-on tested · Content checked:

Standardize the contract between runtimes and network plugins

The specification defines configuration inputs such as container ID, network namespace, interface name, JSON configuration, and command behavior including ADD, DEL, and CHECK.

Sources: [2][4]

Support integrations and plugin testing with libcni and cnitool

libcni lets Go applications execute CNI configurations, while cnitool can exercise plugins without a full container runtime.

Sources: [2][5]

For connecting Kubernetes or container runtimes to interchangeable networking plugins

CNI provides the common interface used to invoke implementations such as Cilium, Calico, cloud-provider plugins, and other container-networking systems.

Sources: [2]

Separate the CNI specification from the actual network plugin and check version compatibility

This repository alone does not provide a complete container network. Confirm the lowest mutually supported CNI spec version across the runtime and plugins, and test upgrades before production deployment.

Sources: [2][5]

Official sources

  1. [1]containernetworking/cni repository(2026-09-20)
  2. [2]CNI README(2026-09-20)
  3. [3]CNI Apache-2.0 license(2026-09-20)
  4. [4]CNI specification(2026-09-20)
  5. [5]cnitool documentation(2026-09-20)
Supplemental curator note

CNI is not one Kubernetes networking product; it is the common interface that lets runtimes invoke plugins such as Cilium or Calico. This repository contains the specification, Go integration library, and cnitool, while reference networking plugins live in a separate repository.

Try it in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Build cnitool from the CNI repository

    Build the developer-oriented cnitool from the repository containing the CNI specification and libcni.

    git clone https://github.com/containernetworking/cni.git && cd cni && go build -o ./bin/cnitool ./cnitool
  2. 2

    Build reference plugins from the separate repository

    Bridge and other reference plugins are maintained separately from the CNI specification repository.

    git clone https://github.com/containernetworking/plugins.git && cd plugins && ./build_linux.sh
  3. 3

    Exercise a plugin in an isolated network namespace

    Verify ADD/CHECK/DEL behavior and CNI spec compatibility without touching the host production network.

    Use cnitool with a temporary network namespace and a test CNI config
Check the official README

Growth

Growth trends · Last 30 days

6,118 Stars

Trend data is still being collected.

Development activity

Last 90 days · weekly

Commits (last 30 days)
1
Open PRs
35
Issues opened
1
Issues closed
2
PRs opened
3
PRs merged
2

Issues

1 / 2

Jun 23Sep 20
Issues openedIssues closed

Pull requests

3 / 2

Jun 23Sep 20
PRs openedPRs merged

Maintenance

Median first response
79 days
Issue response rate
100% (1/1)

Based on up to the 100 newest issues opened by external users in the last 90 days. A first comment from an OWNER, MEMBER, or COLLABORATOR counts as a response; issues whose full comment history cannot be checked are excluded. The median and response rate update weekly.

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GitHub data

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GitHub Topics

  • docker
  • networking
  • containers
  • kubernetes
Stars
6,118
Forks
1,164
Watchers
216
Open issues
119
Contributors
148
Primary language
Go
License
Apache-2.0
Repository last updated
Sep 14, 2026
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