gnmic-subscribe

Subscribe to target state updates under the subtree of a specific path

$ gnmic [[-a|--address]] [ip:port] [[sub|subscribe]] --path [path]

$ gnmic [[-a|--address]] [ip:port] [[sub|subscribe]] --path [path] --sample-interval 30s

$ gnmic [[-a|--address]] [ip:port] [[sub|subscribe]] --path [path] --stream-mode on-change --heartbeat-interval [1m]

$ gnmic [[-a|--address]] [ip:port] [[sub|subscribe]] --path [path] --mode once

$ gnmic [[-a|--address]] [ip:port] [[sub|subscribe]] --path [path] [[-e|--encoding]] json_ietf

gnmic-subscribe [global-options] [subscribe-options] [paths...]

-a, --address
    gNMI target address (host:port). Required.

-u, --username
    Username for authentication.

-p, --password
    Password for authentication.

--insecure
    Skip TLS certificate validation.

--timeout
    gRPC timeout. Default: 10s.

--encoding
    Subscription encoding: proto,json,json-ietf,bytes,gob. Default: json-ietf.

--format
    Output format: proto,json,json-ietf,bytes,gob,proto3. Default: json.

--mode
    Subscription mode: stream,sample,onchange. Default: stream.

--sample-interval
    Sample interval in seconds for sample mode.

--heartbeat-interval
    Heartbeat interval in seconds.

--suppress-redundant
    Skip redundant updates.

--prefix-paths
    Subscribe using path prefixes.

--path-prefix
    Global path prefix for all subscriptions.

--stream-updates-only
    Print only stream messages, skip sync.

--one-off
    Perform one-off subscription and exit.

--updates-only
    Skip initial sync, print only updates.

-f, --file
    Read paths from file.

--tls-ca
    CA certificate file.

--tls-cert
    Client certificate file.

--tls-key
    Client key file.

gnmic-subscribe is a command-line tool for subscribing to streaming telemetry from network devices via the gNMI (gRPC Network Management Interface) protocol. It polls or streams YANG-modeled operational data like interface stats, BGP peers, and system metrics in real-time. Specify target addresses, gnmic-paths (e.g., /interfaces/interface[name=Ethernet1]/state/counters), modes (stream, sample, onchange), and output formats (JSON, Proto, etc.). Supports authentication (basic, TLS), reconnections, heartbeats, and data suppression for efficiency.

Ideal for monitoring pipelines, it prefixes paths, handles incremental updates, and exports to files or stdout for processing with tools like Kafka or Prometheus. Prefix modes enable hierarchical subscriptions across namespaces. Widely used in data center and service provider networks for scalable telemetry.

Requires gNMI-capable targets. Paths must use valid gnmic-path syntax. High-volume streams may overload stdout; pipe to files/processors. TLS required for secure connections.

Format: [origin:]name[/name][{key=value,key2=value2}][|json-pointer]. Supports escapes and wildcards.

stream: Continuous updates.
sample: Periodic polls.
onchange: Delta changes only.

Introduced in gnmic v0.1.0 (2020) by OpenConfig community. Evolved from gNMI c/c++ clients; now Golang-based with active GitHub development (v0.2.x+). Supports gNMI 1.1 spec.

gnmic(1), gnmic-get(1), gnmic-set(1), grpcurl(1)