NIPAP
What it is
NIPAP is a free, open-source IP address management system designed for large address inventories and network engineers. It offers a web interface and a feature-complete command-line tool, and can allocate the next available address automatically. Search supports IP prefix operators and regular expressions. IPv6 has feature parity with IPv4, and VRFs are supported natively. The system includes subnet planning, integrated statistics, and audit history. It stores and indexes addresses in PostgreSQL with the ip4r module, and its backend communicates through an XML-RPC API. The project lists Python and Java client libraries. Deployment is self-hosted, with Debian and Debian derivatives officially supported; other Unix-like systems may require manual dependency installation. Installation documentation describes configuring authentication accounts for the backend and web interface. NIPAP is licensed under MIT, and the maker directs users to GitHub issues for bugs, feature requests, and other issues. The maker characterizes its user documentation as limited, with user and developer documentation maintained separately.
For and against
For
- Automatically allocates the next available address.
- IPv6 feature set matches IPv4.
- Supports VRFs natively.
- Includes web, command-line, and XML-RPC access.
Against
- Official support is limited to Debian and its derivatives.
- Other Unix-like systems may need manual dependency installation.
- Maker describes user documentation as limited.
The verdict
NIPAP offers address allocation, search, and management tools for a self-hosted environment, with IPv6 and VRF support. Its limited user documentation and narrower official platform support are worth weighing before deployment.
Who it suits
It suits network engineers who need self-hosted IP address management, including IPv6 and VRF support. Teams should be prepared for a Debian-based deployment or manual dependency setup on other Unix-like systems.
Plans and prices
NIPAP
Open source · MIT license
Read 7 Oct 2026 · spritelink.github.io
On the record
- Address allocation
- NIPAP can automatically allocate the next available address.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Audience
- The maker describes NIPAP as built by network engineers for network engineers.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Command line
- NIPAP includes a feature-complete CLI.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Database
- NIPAP stores data in PostgreSQL and uses the ip4r module for ternary lookups.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The maker officially supports Debian and Debian derivatives; it says NIPAP should also run on Unix-like systems with manual dependency installation.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The maker describes its user documentation as rather limited and links to separate user and developer documentation.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Documentation limit
- The maker describes its user documentation as rather limited.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The maker lists Python and Java client libraries and a web interface that communicates with the backend through an XML-RPC API.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- IPv6
- NIPAP supports IPv6 with feature parity with IPv4.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Libraries
- The maker lists a Python library called pynipap and a Java client library.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- License
- NIPAP is open source under the MIT license.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Product
- NIPAP is an IP address management system built to handle large amounts of IP addresses.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- NIPAP is an IP address management system built to handle large amounts of IP addresses.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Search
- Its search supports IP prefix operators and regular expressions.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Security
- The installation guide describes configuring authentication accounts for the backend and web interface.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Statistics
- NIPAP includes integrated statistics.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Storage
- NIPAP uses PostgreSQL and the ip4r module to store and index IP addresses.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker directs users to GitHub issues for bugs, feature requests, and other issues.spritelink.github.io · read 7 Oct 2026
