Cisco IOS CLI Cheat Sheet is the complete quick-reference of Cisco IOS CLI commands grouped by function. Copy any command with one click and find what you need with Ctrl+F in under 3 seconds.
Basic Configuration
Action
Command
Useful flags
Configuration
Interface configuration
Set hostname
hostname <name>
Enable password encryption
service password-encryption
-encryption
VLANs & Switching
Action
Command
Useful flags
Show VLAN summary
show vlan brief
Show trunk interfaces
show interfaces trunk
Show switchport configuration
show interfaces switchport
Create VLAN
vlan <vlan-id>
-id
Enter interface configuration mode
interface <type> <mod/port>
Show spanning-tree info
show spanning-tree
vlan detail brief
Show interface VLAN info
show interfaces vlan <vlan-id>
-id
Routing (OSPF, EIGRP, BGP)
Action
Command
Useful flags
Ip ospf
show ip ospf neighbor
Ip ospf
show ip ospf database
Show OSPF interfaces
show ip ospf interface
brief
Show routing protocols
show ip protocols
Show OSPF routes
show ip route ospf
Show EIGRP routes
show ip route eigrp
ACLs & Security
Action
Command
Useful flags
No commands detected for this group.
NAT & PAT
Action
Command
Useful flags
Configure static NAT
ip nat inside source static <inside-local> <inside-global>
-global -local
Configure PAT (overload) on interface
ip nat inside source list <acl> interface <interface> overload
overload
Configure dynamic NAT with pool
ip nat inside source list <acl> pool <pool-name>
-name
Set interface as inside NAT
ip nat inside
Static NAT with route map
ip nat inside source static <inside-local> <inside-global> route-map <route-map-name>
ip nat inside source static <inside-local> <inside-global> redundancy <group-number>
redundancy
VRF-aware static NAT
ip nat inside source static <inside-local> <inside-global> vrf <vrf-name>
vrf
VPN & Tunnels
Action
Command
Useful flags
No commands detected for this group.
Spanning Tree (STP)
Action
Command
Useful flags
Spanning-tree:
Show Spanning-Tree:
-Tree
Diagnostics & Show
Action
Command
Useful flags
Version
show version
Ip ospf
show ip ospf neighbor
Ip ospf
show ip ospf database
Ip route
show ip route
Running-config
show running-config
-config
Running-config interface
show running-config interface
-config
Ip interface
show ip interface
⚠️ Dangerous / Destructive Commands
These commands are irreversible. Verify your environment (dev/staging vs prod) before running them.
Action
Command
Warning
⚠️ Destroy ⚠️
terraform destroy -auto-approve
Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Delete
kubectl delete namespace production
Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Prune ⚠️
docker system prune -af --volumes
Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Delete
pvesh delete /nodes/{node}/qemu/{vmid}
Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Delete
az group delete --name MyResourceGroup --yes
Irreversible — verify the target before running
FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Basic Configuration and VLANs & Switching?
Each group in this Cisco IOS CLI cheat sheet covers a distinct area. Basic Configuration focuses on its specific scope, while VLANs & Switching and the remaining groups cover networking, storage, security and diagnostics respectively.
How do I check the installed Cisco IOS CLI version?
Run the version command (usually cisco version or cisco --version). The output shows the client and, when applicable, the server version.
Why does Cisco IOS CLI return ‘permission denied’?
A ‘permission denied’ error in Cisco IOS CLI usually means the current user lacks sufficient privileges or credentials are not configured. Check: (1) assigned IAM/RBAC roles, (2) an active authentication context via the corresponding login command.
How do I filter Cisco IOS CLI output by status or name?
Use flags such as --filter, --selector or --query depending on the tool. You can also pipe into grep or jq to process JSON:
cisco list | grep RUNNING
What is the fastest way to debug a Cisco IOS CLI error?
Add the verbose flag (--verbose, -v or --debug) to the failing command. This reveals the underlying HTTP/API calls and the full error response body.
Official sources & references
Commands cross-checked against vendor documentation and high-authority repositories:
