# Response: CLI Is an API

DevFeed: [Response: CLI Is an API](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/response-cli-is-an-api-11189.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ipspace.net/2025/05/response-cli-api/>)

Published: 2025-05-14T06:32:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [ipSpace.net blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ipspace-net-blog.md>)

Topics: [Command-line interface](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cli.md>), [Structured-data](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/structured-data.md>), [Cisco](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cisco.md>)

Tags: [api](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/api.md>), [automation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/automation.md>), [cisco](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cisco.md>), [cli](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cli.md>), [regex](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/regex.md>)

## AI overview

This commentary revisits whether a command-line interface can serve as an API. It presents cautious parsing practices for CLI output but concludes that structured data remains preferable because regex-based parsing does not understand semantic structure and is difficult to maintain.

## Source excerpt

Andrew Yourtchenko and Dr. Tony Przygienda left wonderful comments to my Screen Scraping in 2025 blog post, but unfortunately they prefer commenting on a closed platform with ephemeral content; the only way to make their thoughts available to a wider audience is by reposting them. Andrew first: I keep saying CLI is an API. However, it is much simpler and an easier way to adapt to the changes, if these three conditions are met: Read more ...