May 27, 2025

Elevate Networking Skills: Explore EVE-NG PRO

By Abhimanyu Saharan · 6 minute read

Building a network lab with actual routers, switches, and firewalls? Yeah, that gets expensive fast. Not to mention the power bill, cooling, and cable mess. Virtual labs are the clear answer, and EVE-NG (Emulated Virtual Environment - Next Generation) is one of the most popular and powerful options out there.

EVE-NG lets you build complex, real-world network setups using the actual operating system images from vendors like Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, and others. You access it all through a web browser. This means you can design and test intricate topologies whether you're studying for your CCNA or CCNP, grinding for a CCIE, or just validating network changes before they hit production.

The catch? Running EVE-NG effectively, especially for bigger labs, requires a pretty beefy computer. Setting it up and keeping it tuned takes time and technical know-how. That's where CloudMyLab comes in. We offer hosted EVE-NG Pro environments that are already built, optimized, and ready for you to jump in, all backed by a dedicated support team. This lets you skip the local setup pain and focus purely on building, testing, and sharpening your network skills.

What Makes EVE-NG Pro Different?
What are the EVE-NG Pro Installation and Deployment Options?
What is the pricing of an EVE-NG Pro license?
EVE-NG Pro Use Cases and Applications
Can I run EVE-NG Pro in the cloud, and how easy is it to set up?
Flexible and Cost-Effective Pricing for EVE-NG Pro
Make Your Networking Goals Happen

What Makes EVE-NG Pro Different?

EVE-NG Pro steps things up from the free Community Edition with advanced features for complex labs and working with others:

Multi-Vendor Power: Emulate devices from pretty much any vendor you can think of – Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Palo Alto, Fortinet, Check Point, you name it. Essential for testing today's mixed-vendor enterprise networks.
Team Collaboration: Pro makes teamwork easy. It has user roles (Admin, Editor, User) and lets multiple people work on labs at the same time. Great for training teams or design engineers collaborating on a project.
Massive Labs: Build labs with up to 1024 nodes. That's enough to model entire corporate networks or huge data center setups. Plus, you can add or remove links between devices ("hot links") without shutting down the lab.
Advanced Integrations: Built-in Docker support lets you drop containerized tools (like Wireshark for live packet captures, or monitoring tools) directly into your labs. It also has comprehensive APIs if you want to automate labs with Ansible or Python.
Real-Time Tools: Features like lab timers and live device status tracking are super helpful for time-sensitive tasks, like practicing exam sections or testing failover speed.
Slick Web UI: The web interface is clean, customizable, and easy to use, making navigating and managing even complex labs smoother.

Running EVE-NG well, especially big labs, is resource-hungry if you host it yourself (needs a powerful CPU, lots of RAM – think 16GB+ minimum, preferably more – and a fast SSD). You also need to legally get and manage device OS images yourself. CloudMyLab’s hosted solution takes all those hardware and image management burdens off your plate. Check out our EVE-NG resource calculator for more info.

Read more: EVE-NG vs CML

What are the EVE-NG Pro Installation and Deployment Options?

EVE-NG Pro deploys via CloudMyLab’s hosted solutions and pre-installed cloud VMs for instant scalability, on-premises home labs, laptops for portability, or Docker for containerized setups.

Here’s how to deploy it:

CloudMyLab Hosted EVE-NG Pro (Recommended): This is the fastest way to get started, especially if you need power and minimal setup time. We provide EVE-NG Pro pre-installed on optimized cloud VMs (often with 32GB RAM, 8-core CPUs and up) or even bare-metal instances for max performance. Great for large 1024-node labs, comes with a high SLA (99.1%), and has 24/7 expert support.

EVE-NG Pro Docker Deployment: Pro's Docker integration lets you easily add containerized tools (Wireshark, monitoring, etc.) right into your labs alongside your virtual routers/switches. CloudMyLab’s hosted EVE-NG Pro environments often come with pre-configured Docker, making this even easier for large labs and speeding up your workflow.

Home Lab (Self-Hosted): You can install EVE-NG Pro on your own server using a hypervisor like VMware ESXi or KVM (needs a reasonably powerful machine, Ubuntu 20.04+ installed, 16GB RAM minimum). This gives you full control and an offline lab but means you handle all the updates and hardware management. If you only need small, basic labs (up to 63 nodes), the free Community Edition might be enough, but Pro is needed for the bigger lab size, hot-linking, Docker, timers, or multi-user access. Read more on how to set up a home CCNA lab.

Laptop: You can install EVE-NG Pro on a powerful laptop (minimum 16GB RAM, quad-core CPU), but it's usually limited to small labs and solo practice by your laptop's resources. Good for portability, though.

What is the pricing of an EVE-NG Pro license?

EVE-NG Pro works on an annual subscription. Pricing usually depends on how many people need to use the server at the same time (concurrent sessions) and how much CPU/RAM power you need. If 10 engineers need to run labs simultaneously, you need 10 active licenses. The resources each session uses depend on the devices you add to the lab. You can even cluster multiple servers under one license to pool resources.

Key features tied to the Pro license:

Up to 1024 nodes per lab.
Different User Roles (Admin, Lab Editor, Lab User).
Clustering multiple servers.

Read more: EVE-NG Community vs EVE-NG Professional: 8 Key Differences You Need to Know

Is there a free trial or evaluation options for EVE-NG professional?

EVE-NG doesn't have a trial listed publicly, but official hosting partners like CloudMyLab do offer trials of the Pro version. You can book a 1-day free trial through CloudMyLab’s Free Trial page. These trials usually come with a powerful pre-sized server (like a "Wolf-48 Dedicated Instance" with 24 vCPUs and 256 GB RAM), letting you test serious complex topologies or CCIE-level labs without any cost or local setup.

What happens to my EVE-NG Pro labs if my license expires?

Your lab files stay on the server. But the Pro features shut off. The server reverts to the free Community Edition limits. You'll have read-only access to your labs, letting you export configs.
To get Pro features back, just renew your license via the EVE-NG portal. Your lab definitions are still there, and Pro features reactivate upon renewal.

Can I run EVE-NG Pro without a license, or do I need to switch to the community edition?

Nope. You need a valid license to run EVE-NG in Pro mode. If your license is invalid or expires, it automatically drops back to the free Community Edition. If you need uninterrupted Pro access, make sure you keep your subscription current or use a continuous hosted service like CloudMyLab.

EVE-NG Pro Use Cases and Applications

EVE-NG Pro is helping network teams with:

Enterprise Testing: Simulate complex WANs, test failover, tune QoS policies under load. Validate changes safely before production.

Cert Prep: Get realistic, on-demand labs for CCNA, CCNP, CCIE, and other vendor certs. Build real muscle memory with actual device configurations.

Proof of Concepts (POCs): Quickly spin up multi-vendor virtual images to test interoperability or specific features for new solutions. Helps make smarter buying decisions.

Training: Its browser interface makes it great for schools and corporate training – students and pros get hands-on labs and an EVE-NG network simulator without local hardware problems.

SDN/Automation: Use it to develop and test automation scripts (Ansible, Python) against live, emulated devices.

Can I run EVE-NG Pro in the cloud, and how easy is it to set up?

Running EVE-NG Pro in the cloud is absolutely possible, and often much simpler than setting it up yourself. CloudMyLab offers fully hosted EVE-NG Pro environments. You don't have to worry about configuring hardware, installing hypervisors, or sorting out complex virtualization setups. We handle all that.

CloudMyLab's Story

CloudMyLab was started in 2016 by experienced CCIEs and network engineers who saw the need for better PoC and Certification labs. The goal was a platform where you could run PoCs for any device, physical or virtual. They built a robust cloud platform on Cisco gear (UCS and Nexus). Based in Dublin, California, with a data center in Fremont, CA, CloudMyLab has grown into an IaaS provider capable of simulating virtually any lab or PoC environment.

Your Exclusive EVE-NG Pro Hosting Partner

As EVE-NG's only premium partner in the United States, CloudMyLab offers a prime way to access EVE-NG Pro. Our trial lets you test a powerful Wolf-48 Dedicated Instance equipped with EVE-NG Pro Large. This can handle serious labs – whether it's 20-30 Cisco IOS routers or a full CCIE-style topology. With 24 vCPUs and 256GB of memory, the trial environment is a powerhouse for network simulations.

Flexible and Cost-Effective Pricing for EVE-NG Pro

CloudMyLab’s pricing structure is designed for different needs. We have flexible subscription options – choose monthly, weekly, or yearly plans. Yearly options often come with a discount.

Make Your Networking Goals Happen

Level up your networking skills using EVE-NG Pro hosted on CloudMyLab. Check out our EVE-NG Pro Hosting Services and explore the trial offer. With various pricing options and solid infrastructure, your path to networking mastery is within reach.

Dive into a platform built to help you grow your networking expertise. Explore CloudMyLab’s pricing and find a plan that fits what you're aiming for. With our robust infrastructure and exclusive partnership with EVE-NG, CloudMyLab is your trusted resource.

FAQ

What is EVE-NG Pro Toolkit?

EVE-NG Pro’s toolkit offers powerful utilities for advanced network emulation. Featuring APIs for automation with Ansible or Python, live packet capture, and HTML5 Desktop Console, it simplifies lab management and real-time diagnostics. CloudMyLab’s hosted platform optimizes toolkit access, providing pre-installed tools for instant use in training or enterprise testing. Role-based access control (RBAC) and lab timers enhance team collaboration and certification prep.

Is the Pro version of EVE-NG worth it for home labs?

If your home lab consists of small, basic network topologies (such as those for CCNA/CCNP studies or simple LAN and routing protocol exploration), the free Community edition is usually sufficient. It supports up to 63 nodes per lab, which is adequate for most individual learning scenarios.

Does EVE-NG Pro support multi-user environments for training teams?

Yes, EVE-NG Pro is well-suited for multi-user environments, making it an excellent choice for organizations looking to train teams or collaborate on network simulations.