GPU & Compute

Mininet

A network emulator and API written in Python for testing network protocols.

Status
UnmaintainedNo commits in 1074 days.
Last checked
Checked · Oct 16, 2026
License
Open source
Pricing
Free tier · from $0
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What it is

Mininet is a popular open-source tool used to emulate networks. It provides an easy-to-use API for creating, configuring, and experimenting with virtual network topologies, making it invaluable for researchers and developers working on network-related projects.

Mininet stands out as a powerful yet accessible tool for network emulation and testing, offering researchers and developers an easy way to experiment with various network configurations without the need for physical hardware.

When it fits — and when it doesn’t

A good fit for

  • Researchers studying the effects of different network topologies on protocol performance

  • Network engineers testing new configurations before deployment in a real-world environment

  • Educators teaching networking concepts and protocols to students

Look elsewhere if

  • Projects requiring real-time, high-performance network simulation (Mininet is more suited for controlled, experimental setups)

  • Production environments where the exact behavior of Mininet's emulated networks cannot be guaranteed

Known weaknesses

Each one links to the public issue, changelog or docs page it came from, where we have one.

  1. 01

    Limited scalability for large network simulations

    Performance degrades significantly with more than 50 nodes due to CPU and memory constraints

  2. 02

    Small community and limited third-party support

    Few active contributors on GitHub, sparse documentation for advanced features

What it does well

  • Easy-to-use API for network emulation

  • Supports a wide range of network topologies and configurations

  • Ideal for testing network protocols and applications in a controlled environment

Pricing

Free tier
YesOpen source — free to use
Paid from
$0
Model
Flat rate
Enterprise plan
No

Pricing not independently confirmed — check the vendor’s page.

Performance benchmarks

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Set up Mininet

Setup steps, common gotchas and what to check after 30 days.

Open the setup guide →