HPE Aruba Networking Central vs NVIDIA Config Manager

HAHPE Aruba Networking Central9.2Visit NVIDIA Config Manager8.7Visit

Higher score HA HPE Aruba Networking Central #2 in Network Provisioning Software 9.2/10 90-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Aruba Central

vs

NVIDIA Config Manager #7 in Network Provisioning Software 8.7/10 Open source ✓ 3 of 4 features Visit NVIDIA

• HPE Aruba Networking Central fits best

  Aruba environments needing centralized provisioning

• NVIDIA Config Manager fits best

  Teams wanting open-source configuration automation

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Side by side

Feature	HAHPE Aruba Networking Central 9.2/10 Visit ↗	NVIDIA Config Manager 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.7
Ranking	#2 in Network Provisioning Software	#7 in Network Provisioning Software
Best for	Aruba environments needing centralized provisioning	Teams wanting open-source configuration automation
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	—	Open source
Free plan	—	Not checked yet
Free trial	90 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Live chat, Phone, Tickets	Docs
Integrations	3 integrations	1 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features HPE Aruba Networking Central 4/4 · NVIDIA Config Manager 3/4
Zero-touch deployment	✓	✓
Device inventory	✓	✓
Access policy provisioning	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
API access	✓	✓
Specs
Managed device limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Deployment model	Hybrid	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Zero-touch onboarding with centralized configuration profiles Inventory, topology, monitoring, reporting, and troubleshooting in one platform REST API, streaming API, webhooks, and Central NAC workflows	Zero-touch provisioning with DHCP, boot scripts, firmware, and rendered configurations Workflow approvals, deployment, backups, validation, and drift auditing Versioned configuration storage plus REST APIs for management and execution
Cons	Paid product with no free plan Advanced analytics and AI features require the Advanced plan Support for third-party devices is limited to selected devices	The official repository identifies it as a Developer Preview The project is not recommended for production use The verified integration list is limited to Nautobot
Our verdict	HPE Aruba Networking Central is a network management and orchestration platform for wired, wireless, WAN, VPN, branch, campus, remote, and data-center environments. It is designed for organizations managing distributed or enterprise… Read the review →	NVIDIA Config Manager is an open-source, Helm-deployed platform for bootstrapping and operating network infrastructure in large-scale data centers. It combines DHCP-based onboarding, zero-touch provisioning, template-based configuration… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• HPE Aruba Networking Central — where it wins

  • Zero-touch onboarding with centralized configuration profiles
  • Inventory, topology, monitoring, reporting, and troubleshooting in one platform
  • REST API, streaming API, webhooks, and Central NAC workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid product with no free plan
  • Advanced analytics and AI features require the Advanced plan
  • Support for third-party devices is limited to selected devices

• NVIDIA Config Manager — where it wins

  • Zero-touch provisioning with DHCP, boot scripts, firmware, and rendered configurations
  • Workflow approvals, deployment, backups, validation, and drift auditing
  • Versioned configuration storage plus REST APIs for management and execution

  Where it doesn't

  • The official repository identifies it as a Developer Preview
  • The project is not recommended for production use
  • The verified integration list is limited to Nautobot

• HAHPE Aruba Networking Central9.2/10 · 90-day trial

  Centralizes onboarding, configuration, policies, monitoring, and APIs across distributed networks.

  Visit Aruba CentralFull verdict →
• NVIDIA Config Manager8.7/10 · Open source

  A feature-rich open-source option for teams automating NVIDIA network infrastructure.

  Visit NVIDIAFull verdict →