Netbox Extensability Overview
Netbox Extensability Overview#
- Core features in netbox to enhance way you use netbox
- Allow team and org to integrate
Expertise required#
From easiest to hardest
- NAPALM
- Custom Fields
- Custom Links
- Webhooks
- Export Templates
- REST Api
- Reports
- Custom Scripts
- Plugin Framework
NAPALM#
- feature is exposed in REST API - API proxy for napalm library
- Interface connection LLDP Neighbours
- device status and config
Usage:
-
Install
pip install napalm -
Create Platform and specify NAPALM driver
- Assign platform to device with primary IP
- Access NAPALM related tabs
Custom Fields#
- User defined fields added to primary fields
- Something to store on each device
- Works same in UI and Rest API
- Created in the
admin section - Select the primary object type to add to
Extras -> Custom Fields...
Not sure if this is a thing in netbox 3.0
Custom Links#
- Dynamically generated buttons
- Link netbox data to other systems
Extras -> Custom Links..
Link to network management system, change management or monitoring
Webhooks#
- Event data occuring in netbox sending to other systems - on object update, create or delete
- deprovisioning automation
- Template out a custom request body
Extras -> Webhooks..
Export Templates#
Custom CSV exports
Extras -> Export Templates...
REST Api#
- Programmatically interact with netbox
- Browsable API
- swagger api: /api/docs
clients:
- pynetbox
- go-netbox
Reports#
- user created validation of data
- boilerplate to execute script
- Validate that device hostnames conform to a naming convention
Custom Scripts#
- python scripts for generic actions
- similar to reports but gets user input
-
business logic within netbox
-
Allow provisioning
- Can do dry run
- Can do a naming convention - with user input
Plugins Framework#
- Developer centric
- Packaging functionality on top of netbox
- Can crete new models, views and APIs
-
Can extend primary object views
-
List views
- No burden of forking the project and maintaining the integration and upstream