Vendor-neutral libraries
There are several excellent efforts of vendor-neutral libraries such as Netmiko (https://github.com/ktbyers/netmiko) and NAPALM (https://github.com/napalm-automation/napalm). Because these libraries do not come natively from the device vendor, they are sometimes a step slower to support the latest platform or features. However, because the libraries are vendor-neutral, if you do not like vendor lock-in for your tools, then these libraries are a good choice. Another benefit of using these libraries is the fact that they are normally open source, so you can contribute back upstream for new features and bug fixes.
On the other hand, because these libraries are community supported, they are not necessarily the ideal fit if you need to rely on somebody else to fix bugs or implement new features. If you have a relatively small team that still needs to comply with certain service-level assurances for your tools, you might be better off using a vendor-backed library.
