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---
anta_title: ANTA debug commands
---
<!--
~ Copyright (c) 2023-2025 Arista Networks, Inc.
~ Use of this source code is governed by the Apache License 2.0
~ that can be found in the LICENSE file.
-->
The ANTA CLI includes a set of debugging tools, making it easier to build and test ANTA content. This functionality is accessed via the `debug` subcommand and offers the following options:
- Executing a command on a device from your inventory and retrieving the result.
- Running a templated command on a device from your inventory and retrieving the result.
These tools are especially helpful in building the tests, as they give a visual access to the output received from the eAPI. They also facilitate the extraction of output content for use in unit tests, as described in our [contribution guide](../contribution.md).
!!! warning
The `debug` tools require a device from your inventory. Thus, you must use a valid [ANTA Inventory](../usage-inventory-catalog.md#device-inventory).
## Executing an EOS command
You can use the `run-cmd` entrypoint to run a command, which includes the following options:
### Command overview
```bash
Usage: anta debug run-cmd [OPTIONS]
Run arbitrary command to an ANTA device.
Options:
-u, --username TEXT Username to connect to EOS [env var:
ANTA_USERNAME; required]
-p, --password TEXT Password to connect to EOS that must be provided.
It can be prompted using '--prompt' option. [env
var: ANTA_PASSWORD]
--enable-password TEXT Password to access EOS Privileged EXEC mode. It
can be prompted using '--prompt' option. Requires
'--enable' option. [env var:
ANTA_ENABLE_PASSWORD]
--enable Some commands may require EOS Privileged EXEC
mode. This option tries to access this mode before
sending a command to the device. [env var:
ANTA_ENABLE]
-P, --prompt Prompt for passwords if they are not provided.
[env var: ANTA_PROMPT]
--timeout FLOAT Global API timeout. This value will be used for
all devices. [env var: ANTA_TIMEOUT; default:
30.0]
--insecure Disable SSH Host Key validation. [env var:
ANTA_INSECURE]
--disable-cache Disable cache globally. [env var:
ANTA_DISABLE_CACHE]
-i, --inventory FILE Path to the inventory YAML file. [env var:
ANTA_INVENTORY; required]
--ofmt [json|text] EOS eAPI format to use. can be text or json
-v, --version [1|latest] EOS eAPI version
-r, --revision INTEGER eAPI command revision
-d, --device TEXT Device from inventory to use [required]
-c, --command TEXT Command to run [required]
--help Show this message and exit.
```
> [!TIP]
> `username`, `password`, `enable-password`, `enable`, `timeout` and `insecure` values are the same for all devices
### Example
This example illustrates how to run the `show interfaces description` command with a `JSON` format (default):
```bash
anta debug run-cmd --command "show interfaces description" --device DC1-SPINE1
Run command show interfaces description on DC1-SPINE1
{
'interfaceDescriptions': {
'Ethernet1': {'lineProtocolStatus': 'up', 'description': 'P2P_LINK_TO_DC1-LEAF1A_Ethernet1', 'interfaceStatus': 'up'},
'Ethernet2': {'lineProtocolStatus': 'up', 'description': 'P2P_LINK_TO_DC1-LEAF1B_Ethernet1', 'interfaceStatus': 'up'},
'Ethernet3': {'lineProtocolStatus': 'up', 'description': 'P2P_LINK_TO_DC1-BL1_Ethernet1', 'interfaceStatus': 'up'},
'Ethernet4': {'lineProtocolStatus': 'up', 'description': 'P2P_LINK_TO_DC1-BL2_Ethernet1', 'interfaceStatus': 'up'},
'Loopback0': {'lineProtocolStatus': 'up', 'description': 'EVPN_Overlay_Peering', 'interfaceStatus': 'up'},
'Management0': {'lineProtocolStatus': 'up', 'description': 'oob_management', 'interfaceStatus': 'up'}
}
}
```
## Executing an EOS command using templates
The `run-template` entrypoint allows the user to provide an [`f-string`](https://realpython.com/python-f-strings/#f-strings-a-new-and-improved-way-to-format-strings-in-python) templated command. It is followed by a list of arguments (key-value pairs) that build a dictionary used as template parameters.
### Command overview
```bash
Usage: anta debug run-template [OPTIONS] PARAMS...
Run arbitrary templated command to an ANTA device.
Takes a list of arguments (keys followed by a value) to build a dictionary
used as template parameters.
Example
-------
anta debug run-template -d leaf1a -t 'show vlan {vlan_id}' vlan_id 1
Options:
-u, --username TEXT Username to connect to EOS [env var:
ANTA_USERNAME; required]
-p, --password TEXT Password to connect to EOS that must be provided.
It can be prompted using '--prompt' option. [env
var: ANTA_PASSWORD]
--enable-password TEXT Password to access EOS Privileged EXEC mode. It
can be prompted using '--prompt' option. Requires
'--enable' option. [env var:
ANTA_ENABLE_PASSWORD]
--enable Some commands may require EOS Privileged EXEC
mode. This option tries to access this mode before
sending a command to the device. [env var:
ANTA_ENABLE]
-P, --prompt Prompt for passwords if they are not provided.
[env var: ANTA_PROMPT]
--timeout FLOAT Global API timeout. This value will be used for
all devices. [env var: ANTA_TIMEOUT; default:
30.0]
--insecure Disable SSH Host Key validation. [env var:
ANTA_INSECURE]
--disable-cache Disable cache globally. [env var:
ANTA_DISABLE_CACHE]
-i, --inventory FILE Path to the inventory YAML file. [env var:
ANTA_INVENTORY; required]
--ofmt [json|text] EOS eAPI format to use. can be text or json
-v, --version [1|latest] EOS eAPI version
-r, --revision INTEGER eAPI command revision
-d, --device TEXT Device from inventory to use [required]
-t, --template TEXT Command template to run. E.g. 'show vlan
{vlan_id}' [required]
--help Show this message and exit.
```
> `username`, `password`, `enable-password`, `enable`, `timeout` and `insecure` values are the same for all devices
### Example
This example uses the `show vlan {vlan_id}` command in a `JSON` format:
```bash
anta debug run-template --template "show vlan {vlan_id}" vlan_id 10 --device DC1-LEAF1A
Run templated command 'show vlan {vlan_id}' with {'vlan_id': '10'} on DC1-LEAF1A
{
'vlans': {
'10': {
'name': 'VRFPROD_VLAN10',
'dynamic': False,
'status': 'active',
'interfaces': {
'Cpu': {'privatePromoted': False, 'blocked': None},
'Port-Channel11': {'privatePromoted': False, 'blocked': None},
'Vxlan1': {'privatePromoted': False, 'blocked': None}
}
}
},
'sourceDetail': ''
}
```
### Example of multiple arguments
> [!WARNING]
> If multiple arguments of the same key are provided, only the last argument value will be kept in the template parameters.
```bash
anta -log DEBUG debug run-template --template "ping {dst} source {src}" dst "8.8.8.8" src Loopback0 --device DC1-SPINE1
> {'dst': '8.8.8.8', 'src': 'Loopback0'}
anta -log DEBUG debug run-template --template "ping {dst} source {src}" dst "8.8.8.8" src Loopback0 dst "1.1.1.1" src Loopback1 --device DC1-SPINE1
> {'dst': '1.1.1.1', 'src': 'Loopback1'}
# Notice how `src` and `dst` keep only the latest value
```
|
