rConfig V8 Core Features and Roadmap

After reading this page, I can see the full feature set that ships in rConfig V8 Core today, understand which capabilities belong to the paid editions instead, and know what the open-source roadmap is working toward next.

rConfig V8 Core is the free, open-source Network Configuration Management (NCM) platform built on 15 years of rConfig experience. Everything below is available in V8 Core unless explicitly marked as a different edition.

Release cycle

rConfig V8 Core follows a structured release cycle: major versions introduce substantial new capabilities, minor versions add features and enhancements, and patch releases address defects and security updates. All releases are free and open-source.

What ships in V8 Core today

The V8.0.0 release established the foundational architecture for modern network configuration management: automated backups, multi-vendor support, and a clean, modern interface. The sections below group the current capabilities by area.

For the broader product direction across the paid editions, see the rConfig Pro and Vector roadmap.

New in July 2026

Recent additions to V8 Core: the REST API for triggering backups, retrieving configurations, and managing devices programmatically; configuration diffs for side-by-side comparison of configuration versions with change highlighting; and an upgraded Configuration Search that combines multiple search terms with All (AND) or Any (OR) matching, scope filters for tags, devices, command groups, and commands, a configurable result limit, and highlighted match previews.

Automated configuration backups

• Scheduled backup jobs with customizable intervals and timing
• On-demand backups for any device or group from the UI or API
• Multi-vendor CLI support over SSH and Telnet across Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, Fortinet, Palo Alto, MikroTik, HP, Ubiquiti, and hundreds more
• Real-time job monitoring with execution history and detailed logging
• Multi-term configuration search with All or Any matching and scope filters for tags, devices, command groups, and commands
• Advanced filtering for devices, jobs, and configurations
• Config diff and versioning with inline and side-by-side comparison, regex-based noise exclusion, and email alerts on changes

Device management

• Device inventory with custom attributes and metadata
• Device groups for organising devices into logical sets
• Flexible tagging for categorising and filtering devices
• Bulk operations across multiple devices at once
• Device status monitoring for connectivity and backup success rates
• REST API for programmatic device management and integration with existing tooling

User interface

• Modern UI built on the shadcn/ui component library
• Responsive layouts across desktop and mobile
• Device dashboard showing device status, backup health, and recent activity
• Job management for scheduling, monitoring, and managing backup jobs
• Configuration browser with syntax highlighting
• Config Compare for side-by-side comparison of configuration versions with change highlighting

Security and authentication

• Encrypted credential storage with encryption at rest
• Single Sign-On (SSO) support for existing identity providers
• Audit logging of user actions and system events
• Secure session handling with configurable timeout policies

Integration and automation

• REST API for triggering backups, retrieving configurations, and managing devices
• Webhook support for backup completion and system events
• Custom pre and post-backup scripts for advanced workflows
• Command-line utilities for automation and scripting
• REST API documentation and examples for integration with existing systems

Notifications and data management

• Configurable email notifications for backup failures and important events
• Granular notification preferences per event type
• Data export in CSV and JSON
• Bulk import of device lists from external sources

Platform architecture

V8 Core runs on a modern, supported foundation:

Component	Detail
Backend	Laravel 12 for stability and performance
Runtime	PHP 8.4 for current performance and security support
Database	MySQL or MariaDB for configuration storage
API	REST API for automation and integrations
Source	Full source code access under an open-source license

For performance, V8 Core uses an optimised scheduler that handles hundreds of devices, SSH connection pooling to reduce overhead, asynchronous background job processing for a responsive UI, and robust error handling with retry logic.

Looking for AI, change management, or Vector?

Capabilities such as policy compliance, change management, AI assistance, and the Vector distributed architecture are part of the paid editions, not V8 Core. They are documented separately on the rConfig Pro, Enterprise, and Vector docs, and you can compare editions on the rConfig pricing page.

Community and open source

rConfig V8 Core is free and open-source, and the project is committed to keeping it that way.

Get involved

• GitHub repository for source code, issues, and contributions
• Community discussions for peer-to-peer help and tips
• Issue tracker for reporting bugs and requesting features

Ways to contribute

• Submit pull requests for bug fixes and enhancements
• Improve the documentation and examples
• Test new releases and report issues
• Help translate the interface to additional languages
• Share your experience and feature requests

Roadmap and future direction

The areas below describe where open-source development is heading. They are directional, not committed release dates.

Enhanced automation

Deeper automation is under exploration, including scheduling that adapts to network patterns, automated device discovery and onboarding, and self-healing backup failures with automatic retry strategies.

Advanced analytics

Configuration data is a rich source of insight into network health. Planned analytical work includes change trend analysis, device health scoring, and predictive alerting for potential issues.

Extended protocol support

As infrastructure evolves, V8 Core aims to expand protocol coverage, including NETCONF and YANG for modern devices, gRPC for cloud-native infrastructure, and REST APIs for programmable networking equipment.

Container and cloud support

Future work targets modern deployment patterns, including broader Docker support, Kubernetes deployment options, and a cloud-native architecture for flexible deployments.

Feature requests

Community users can submit feature requests through GitHub Issues. Requests are reviewed on an ongoing basis and incorporated into the roadmap based on community demand, alignment with open-source principles, and technical feasibility.

What’s next

• Read the V8 Core overview to understand the platform at a glance
• Install rConfig V8 Core with the full setup instructions
• Harden your deployment before going to production

For source code, feature requests, and community support, see the rConfig GitHub repository and GitHub discussions, or email info@rconfig.com.