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Getting Started with the PAN-OS XML API

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Learn about getting started with PAN-OS XML API

Use the PAN-OS XML API when you want to automate tasks you need to perform, such as:

Create, update, and modify firewall and Panorama configurations.
Execute operational mode commands, such as restart the system or validate configurations.
Retrieve reports.
Manage users through User-ID.
Update dynamic objects without having to modify or commit new configurations.

The PAN-OS XML API offers a number of components to automate access and configuration of Palo Alto Networks firewalls and Panorama.

Feature	Description
Full access to PAN-OS functionality	The PAN-OS XML API allows you to access almost all of the functionality normally provided through the firewall web interface and CLI.
Secure authentication and access using API key and admin roles	Use your administrative username and password to generate an API key to authenticate API calls. Granular roles allow you to grant API access to specific functionality including reports, logs, and operational mode commands.
Options to view XML syntax through API browser, CLI and web interface debug mode	To explore all various functions of the API, you can use the API browser through the firewall web interface. You can also enable debug mode through the CLI to see the API equivalent of CLI commands.

To learn about the PAN-OS REST API, see PAN-OS REST API Use Cases.

To learn about changes to the latest version of CLI commands that affect corresponding PAN-OS XML API requests, see the PAN-OS CLI Quick Start.

When multiple login or logout events are generated at the same time, make sure to follow these guidelines to ensure optimal firewall performance:

Design your application to queue events and perform batch API updates instead of sending single event or mapping updates.
Limit the number of concurrent API calls to five. The suggested limit ensures that there is no performance impact to the firewall web interface as the management plane web server handles requests from both the API and the web interface. Limits may vary depending on the type of request.