Specify the Output Format for Operational Information Requests in a NETCONF Session

A NETCONF client application can request operational information about a device running Junos OS or a device running Junos OS Evolved. The client application emits an <rpc> element that encloses a Junos XML request tag element. The client application can specify the format for the RPC output in its request. By default, the server returns the RPC output in XML format.

To request the output in a specific format, the client application includes the format attribute in the opening operational request tag. The syntax is as follows:

Table 1 describes the available formats. Minified formats remove characters that are not required for computer processing, for example, spaces, tabs, and newlines. Minified formats decrease the size of the data, and as a result, can reduce transport costs and data delivery and processing times.

Table 1: Operational RPC Output Formats

format Attribute Value	Description
ascii	Formatted ASCII text.
json	JSON format.
json-minified	JSON format with unnecessary spaces, tabs, and newlines removed.
text	Formatted ASCII text.
xml	Junos XML format.
xml-genstate-path	Junos XML format that includes the junos:genstate-path attribute for every emitted tag that is available for subscription. The attribute value is the genstate subscription path.
xml-minified	Junos XML format with unnecessary spaces, tabs, and newlines removed.
xml-xpath	Junos XML format that includes the junos:data-xpath attribute in each tag. The attribute value is the XPath expression that selects that node.

XML Format

By default, the NETCONF server returns operational information in XML format. If a client application sets the format attribute to xml or omits the format attribute, the server returns the response in XML. The following example requests information for the ge-0/3/0 interface and omits the format attribute.

The NETCONF server returns the information in XML format. The output is identical to the CLI output when you append the | display xml filter to the operational mode command.

xml-minified Format

Operational command RPCs also support returning XML output in minified format, which omits unnecessary spaces, tabs, and newlines. To request minified XML output in supported releases, include the format="xml-minified" attribute in the opening request tag. For example:

The NETCONF server returns the information in minified XML format.

xml-genstate-path Format

Junos devices expose some Junos XML RPC responses in telemetry under the genstate origin (genstate:). A gNMI telemetry collector can subscribe to resource paths published in the genstate YANG modules to query for the corresponding state data on a device. The xml-genstate-path format returns the command output in XML. The output includes the junos:genstate-path attribute for every emitted tag that is available for subscription. The attribute value is that node's genstate subscription path.

For example, the following RPC is equivalent to the show system commit revision | display xml genstate-path operational command.

When you specify format="xml-genstate-path", the XML output shows the available genstate paths that a telemetry client can use to subscribe to the corresponding state date.

xml-xpath Format

Many client applications use XPath to parse or reference nodes in Junos XML data. The xml-xpath format returns XML output that includes the junos:data-xpath attribute for every tag. The attribute value is the XPath expression that selects that specific node. You can use this attribute to quickly retrieve the correct XPath expression for a given element.

The following example executes the <get-commit-revision-information> RPC and requests the xml-xpath format:

The xml-xpath format displays the XPath expression for each node in the output.

ASCII Format

To request that the NETCONF server return operational information as formatted ASCII text, the client application includes the format="text" or format="ascii" attribute in the opening request tag.

When the client application includes the format="text" or format="ascii" attribute in the request tag, the NETCONF server formats the reply as ASCII text and encloses it in an <output> tag element. The format="text" and format="ascii" attributes produce identical output.

The following example shows the equivalent operational mode command executed in the CLI:

The formatted ASCII text returned by the NETCONF server is identical to the CLI output except in cases where the output includes disallowed characters. Disallowed characters include '<' (less-than sign), '>' (greater-than sign), and '&' (ampersand). The NETCONF server substitutes these characters with the equivalent predefined entity reference of '&lt;', '&gt;', and '&amp;' respectively.

If the Junos XML API does not define a response tag element for the type of output requested by a client application, the NETCONF server returns the reply as formatted ASCII text enclosed in an <output> tag element, even if XML-tagged output is requested.

Note:

The content and formatting of data within an <output> tag element are subject to change, so client applications must not depend on them.

JSON Format

A client application can request operational and configuration data in JSON format. To request that the NETCONF server return operational information in JSON format, the client application includes the format="json" attribute in the opening request tag.

When the client application includes the format="json" attribute in the request tag, the NETCONF server returns JSON data.

By default, Junos devices emit JSON-formatted state data in non-compact format, which emits all objects as JSON arrays. In Junos OS Release 24.2 and earlier and Junos OS Evolved Release 24.2 and earlier, Junos devices support emitting the device’s operational state in compact JSON format. Compact JSON format emits JSON arrays only for objects that have multiple values. To configure the device to emit compact JSON format, configure the compact statement at the [edit system export-format state-data json] hierarchy level.

NETCONF clients can also request operational command RPC output in minified JSON format, which omits unnecessary spaces, tabs, and newlines. To request minified JSON output in supported releases, include the format="json-minified" attribute in the opening request tag. For example:

The NETCONF server returns the information in minified JSON format.