VMware APIs and SDKs Documentation

Click any link below to view release notes, developer guides, API reference, and other documentation for all versions of a VMware API or SDK package.

Infrastructure Management

VMware vSphere PowerCLI Documentation Windows PowerShell interfaces to VMware vSphere functionality. Two products are available: the VMware vSphere SDK for .NET, and the VMware vCenter Update Manager – PowerShell Library.
VMware vSphere SDK for Perl Client-side Perl framework that provides an easy-to-use scripting interface to the vSphere Web Services API.
VMware vSphere Web Services SDK Sample code, WSDLs, and documentation for creating Java and C# client applications that can leverage the Web-services based vSphere Web Services API for managing, monitoring, and controlling the life-cycle of all VMware vSphere components.
VMware CIM APIs Common Information Model (CIM) APIs. View virtual machines and resources using profiles defined by the Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S). Manage hosts using the System Management Architecture for Server Hardware (SMASH) standard.
VMware vSphere Management Assistant (vMA) Virtual machine with prepackaged software, a logging component, and an authentication component for non-interactive login. Perform most ESX service console tasks, and run scripts and agents to manage ESX/ESXi hosts.

VMware Studio VMware Studio is an easy-to-use virtual appliance that helps you transform software applications running on Linux or Windows into virtual machines that you can deliver as quick-starting virtual appliances.
VMware OVF Tool VMware OVF Tool is a command-line utility that enables a user to import and export OVF packages to and from a wide variety of VMware products. OVF Tool supports the OVF Version 1.0 standard and is backward compatible with Version 0.9 of the OVF standard.
VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager API Initiate tests or failovers and collect the results, using a Web-services-based API for vCenter Site Recovery Manager components. The package includes sample code, WSDL, and documentation for configuring a client application to manage and monitor vCenter Site Recovery Manager components.
VMware VDDK Virtual Disk Development Kit. Includes a C function library and utilities to create and access storage in open VMDK (virtual machine disk) format. Compatible with vSphere 4, ESX 3, VMware Server, VMware Fusion, VMware Player, VMware Workstation 6, Workstation 5, Workstation 4, and GSX Server.

VMware VIX API A high-level, easy to use API (with C, Perl, and COM bindings) for automating virtual machine and guest-OS operations. Automate test cases, help reproduce bugs, and customize virtual machine configurations. Code samples available. Compatible with VMware Server and VMware Workstation.

VMware VMCI Sockets An interface for fast, efficient communication between a guest virtual machine and its host, or between virtual machines on the same host.
VMware vSphere Guest SDK A read-only API that enables software running on a guest operating system (Windows or Linux installed on a virtual machine) to collect various statistics, such as virtual machine memory usage and CPU speed.
VProbes Reference Manual VProbes allows you to transparently instrument the virtualization layer and the powered-on guest operating system of a virtual machine.

Programming API Available on VMware Server (VMware Server 1.0 and prior releases only). Used to create scripts and applications for automating virtual machine test and development operations. Replaced by VMware VIX API.
Scripting API Legacy Perl and COM interfaces supported on ESX 3.0.x and GSX Server. (VMware strongly recommends that developers use the vSphere SDK for Perl or the vSphere Web Services SDK, rather than the Scripting APIs.)