Configuring NetScaler CPX Using a Configuration File

Last published : Sep 02, 2026
Instead of using command line interface (cli_script.sh), NITRO API, or NetScaler Console configuration jobs to configure the NetScaler CPX, you can configure the NetScaler CPX using a static configuration file while deploying the NetScaler CPX instance.
You can provide a static configuration file as an input file while deploying the NetScaler CPX container. During NetScaler CPX container startup, the container is configured based on the configuration specified in the static configuration file. This configuration includes NetScaler-specific configuration and bash shell commands that you can dynamically run on the NetScaler CPX container.

Structure of the static configuration file

As mentioned earlier, when NetScaler CPX is deployed, it is configured based on the configurations specified in the static configuration file.
The static configuration file is a .conf file that includes two tags, #NetScaler Commands and #Shell Commands. Under the #NetScaler Commands tag, you must add all the NetScaler commands to configure NetScaler-specific configuration on NetScaler CPX. Under the #Shell Commands tag, you must add the shell commands that you want to run on NetScaler CPX.
During the NetScaler CPX container deployment, the NetScaler commands and shell commands are run on the container in the order specified in the configuration file.
Important:
  • The tags can be repeated multiple times in the configuration file.
  • The tags are not case-sensitive.
  • The configuration file must be present in the /etc directory as cpx.conf file in the container’s file system.
  • The configuration file can also include comments. You must add a “#” character before your comments.
  • If there are failure scenarios while deploying the NetScaler CPX container with the configuration file, the failures are logged in the ns.log file in the container.
  • When you reboot the NetScaler CPX container the configuration file is reapplied on the container.
#NetScaler Commands

add lb vserver v1 http 1.1.1.1 80

add service s1 2.2.2.2 http 80

bind lb vserver v1 s1

#Shell Commands

touch /etc/a.txt

echo "this is a" > /etc/a.txt

#NetScaler Commands

add lb vserver v2 http

#Shell Commands

echo "this is a 1" >> /etc/a.txt

#NetScaler Commands

add lb vserver v3 http

#This is a test configuration file
To install a NetScaler CPX container and to dynamically configure the NetScaler CPX container based on a configuration file, mount the static configuration file using the - v option in the docker run command:
docker run -dt --privileged=true -e EULA=yes --ulimit core=-1 -v /tmp/cpx.conf:/etc/cpx.conf --name mycpx store/citrix/citrixadccpx:13.0-x.x