What is the difference between IPAM and DDI?

DDI bundles DNS, DHCP, and IPAM into one platform, usually commercial and often appliance-based. Standalone IPAM tracks address space and integrates with whatever DNS and DHCP you already run.

Which IPAM tool discovers addresses automatically?

phpIPAM, SolarWinds IPAM, GestioIP, and the commercial DDI platforms scan networks natively. NetBox and NIPAP do not — they model intended state, and reconciliation against discovered state is done externally.

Is NetBox or phpIPAM the better choice?

They answer different questions. NetBox models what the network should be and is strongest when other systems read from its API. phpIPAM records what the network is and is strongest when you need discovery without building it. Pick by whether you are driving automation or documenting an existing estate.

Do any open-source IPAM tools handle RIR registration?

None publish registry objects for you. NetBox models RIRs and aggregates so utilization can be reported against held space, which is the input to a registry submission, but the submission itself is a separate step.

Does an IPAM tool need to integrate with DNS and DHCP?

Not necessarily, but the records will drift if it does not. Either integrate, or run reconciliation that compares IPAM against DNS and DHCP leases on a schedule.

IPAM Tools Reference

Reviewed by Marek Dvořák, Network engineer

Comparison of the IPAM software in common use as of 2026. Verify licensing and feature details against current vendor documentation before committing — commercial products in particular change packaging frequently.

Feature matrix

Tool	Licence	Stack	Discovery	API	DNS/DHCP	Also does
NetBox	Apache 2.0	Python / PostgreSQL	No	REST, GraphQL	Via plugins	DCIM, circuits, VLANs
phpIPAM	GPL-3.0	PHP / MySQL	Yes (ping, SNMP)	REST	DHCP read, DNS checks	VLANs, racks
NIPAP	MIT	Python / PostgreSQL	No	XML-RPC	No	—
GestioIP	GPL	PHP / MySQL	Yes (SNMP)	REST	DNS updates	VLANs
Infoblox	Commercial	Appliance / virtual	Yes	REST	Full DDI	DNS security, cloud
BlueCat	Commercial	Appliance / virtual	Yes	REST	Full DDI	DNS security, cloud
EfficientIP	Commercial	Appliance / virtual	Yes	REST	Full DDI	DNS security
SolarWinds IPAM	Commercial	Windows	Yes	REST	DHCP/DNS management	Fits SolarWinds suite

How to read the columns

Discovery is whether the tool scans the network itself. Its absence is a design choice rather than a gap: NetBox and NIPAP model intended state deliberately, on the argument that a source of truth should describe what you meant, with drift surfaced by comparison rather than silently absorbed. Tools that scan are faster to populate and better at documenting an estate nobody planned.

API determines whether the tool can drive automation. This is the column that decides whether IPAM stays accurate, because records that something depends on get maintained and records that nothing reads do not.

DNS/DHCP separates IPAM from DDI. A full DDI platform assigns an address, creates the DNS record, and configures the DHCP reservation as one operation. Standalone IPAM leaves you to wire that up, which is more work and more flexibility.

Choosing between the common options

NetBox when the network is automated or heading that way. Its model covers devices, circuits, VLANs, and addresses together, and the API is the reason most people pick it — provisioning and configuration generation read from it directly. The cost is that it records nothing you did not tell it, so an existing undocumented estate has to be imported. See the quickstart.

phpIPAM when you need to find out what is deployed and start managing it. Scanning populates the database without a data-entry project, the interface is straightforward, and the requirements are modest. It models addresses rather than infrastructure, so it is a narrower tool than NetBox by design. See the quickstart.

NIPAP when you want address management and nothing else, with a fast CLI. It is deliberately minimal, which is a virtue if the alternative is a platform you use 10% of.

Commercial DDI — Infoblox, BlueCat, EfficientIP — when DNS, DHCP, and IPAM must be one system with vendor support behind it, or when compliance requirements name a supported product. The integration is genuinely better than anything you will assemble, and the price reflects it. The relevant question is whether you need DNS and DHCP in the same system or just wish they were.

The trade-offs of self-hosting are covered separately in open-source IPAM.

What none of them do

Publish registry objects. No IPAM tool submits inetnum records to RIPE or SWIP reassignments to ARIN on your behalf. NetBox models RIRs and aggregates so you can report utilization against held space, but the submission is a separate workflow — see utilization and RIR audits.

Track lease terms. For address space you lease rather than own, the return date, the lessor, and the authorisation on file are all things you will end up modelling with custom fields or tags. See IPAM for leased space.

Design the plan. A tool records the hierarchy you decided on and will happily record a bad one. Design first: address plan design.

What is IPAM — whether you need a tool at all
Open-source IPAM — what self-hosting commits you to
IPAM best practices — practices that outlive the tool choice
Open-source vs enterprise IPAM — the selection argument in narrative form

Last updated on August 29, 2026

Best practices Open-source IPAM

IPAM Tools Reference

Feature matrix

How to read the columns

Choosing between the common options

What none of them do

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