Introducing the Nautobot Zero to Hero Series
I'm excited to announce a new tutorial series that will help you get started with Nautobot and network automation. The Nautobot Zero to Hero series is designed to take you from having no Nautobot experience to building a functional network automation platform that you can use in your own environment.
What's Coming: The First Three Posts
The series launches with three foundational posts that will get you up and running with Nautobot. These posts are complete and ready to follow along:
Installing Nautobot with Docker
The first post focuses on getting Nautobot running on your system. You'll learn how to deploy Nautobot using Docker Compose, which makes the installation process straightforward and consistent across different operating systems. By the end of this post, you'll have a working Nautobot instance that you can access through your web browser.
This post covers the essential setup steps, including Docker Compose configuration, database initialization, and basic verification. The goal is to get you from zero to a running Nautobot instance as quickly as possible, so you can start exploring what the platform has to offer.
Exploring Nautobot's Capabilities
Once you have Nautobot installed, the second post helps you understand what Nautobot can do and how to use it effectively. You'll explore the web interface, understand the core data models, and learn how to use Jobs to automate tasks within Nautobot.
This post includes deploying a demo environment using pre-built Jobs from the accompanying repository. You'll see how Nautobot can serve as your network source of truth, managing devices, sites, and network relationships. The post also introduces the concept of using Jobs to automate data population and configuration tasks.
Setting Up Your Network Lab Environment
The third post sets up a practical lab environment where you can practice network automation. You'll learn how to use Containerlab to deploy a multi-vendor network topology that includes Cisco, Arista, and other network devices. This lab environment becomes your playground for testing automation workflows and learning how Nautobot interacts with real network devices.
Containerlab makes it easy to spin up network topologies without needing physical hardware. You'll configure the lab network, verify connectivity, and prepare the environment for future automation tasks. This hands-on experience is crucial for understanding how network automation works in practice.
The Vision: What Could Come Next
While the first three posts are complete and ready to use, I'm planning additional posts that would extend the series into more advanced topics. These future posts would build upon the foundation established in the first three parts:
Potential Advanced Topics
Device Discovery and Onboarding - Automatically discover network devices and import them into Nautobot. This would cover using plugins like Device Onboarding to scan your network and create device records automatically.
Configuration Management - Learn how to use Nautobot as the source of truth for generating device configurations. This would include creating Jinja2 templates, using Config Contexts, and deploying configurations to network devices.
Golden Config and Compliance - Set up configuration compliance checking using the Golden Config plugin. Learn how to detect configuration drift and ensure devices match your intended configurations.
Event-Driven Automation - Explore Job Hooks and event-driven workflows that automatically respond to changes in Nautobot. This would cover scenarios like automatically configuring devices when interfaces are created or updated.
Multi-Vendor Automation - Extend your automation to work with multiple network vendors, handling platform-specific differences while maintaining a unified automation approach.
Production Deployment - Best practices for deploying Nautobot in production environments, including security, scaling, and integration with existing tools.
Built-In Apps from Nautobot Docker Images
The Nautobot Docker images with pre-installed apps include many powerful built-in applications that could be explored in future posts:
Data Validation Engine - Validate network data for accuracy and compliance with business rules and network standards.
Device Lifecycle Management - Track devices through their entire lifecycle from procurement to decommissioning, including warranty management and end-of-life planning.
Firewall Models - Model and manage firewall rules, policies, and security zones within Nautobot.
BGP Models - Model BGP routing information, autonomous systems, and peering relationships.
Secrets Provider - Securely manage and retrieve secrets for network device credentials and API keys.
Single Source of Truth (SSoT) - Integrate Nautobot with external systems like ServiceNow, Infoblox, or other network management tools to maintain a single source of truth.
Plugin Nornir - Leverage Nornir for advanced network automation tasks directly from Nautobot Jobs.
ChatOps - Integrate Nautobot with chat platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams for interactive network automation.
These built-in apps are pre-installed in the Docker images used by the series, so they're ready to activate and explore. Future posts could dive into how to configure and use these powerful tools to extend your network automation capabilities.
These advanced topics would provide a complete path from basic Nautobot usage to building a production-ready network automation platform. However, the exact content and order of these future posts will depend on feedback and requests from readers.
The Accompanying Repository
To support the tutorial series, I've created a comprehensive repository that provides everything you need to follow along. The Nautobot Zero to Hero repository includes:
- Docker Compose configuration for easy Nautobot deployment
- Containerlab topology files for the network lab
- Example Jobs that demonstrate automation workflows
- Jinja2 templates for configuration generation
- Documentation that complements the tutorial posts
The repository is designed to work hand-in-hand with the tutorial series. Each post references specific files and examples from the repository, making it easy to follow along and experiment with the concepts being taught.
Why This Series?
Network automation is becoming essential for modern network operations, but getting started can be overwhelming. There are many tools, concepts, and best practices to learn. This series aims to provide a clear, structured path that takes you from installation to practical automation.
Nautobot is a powerful platform that can serve as your network source of truth and automation engine, but like any powerful tool, it requires understanding to use effectively. This series breaks down the learning process into manageable steps, with each post building upon the previous one.
The hands-on approach means you'll be building and experimenting as you learn, not just reading about concepts. The Containerlab environment gives you a safe place to practice without affecting production networks.
Who Is This For?
This series is designed for network engineers, DevOps engineers, and anyone interested in network automation who wants to learn Nautobot. Whether you're completely new to network automation or have experience with other tools, the series provides a structured learning path.
The first three posts assume basic familiarity with Docker and command-line operations, but don't require deep networking or programming expertise. The examples are practical and immediately applicable, so you can start using what you learn right away.
Your Input Matters
As I plan future posts for this series, I'd love to hear what topics you'd like to see covered. The advanced topics I mentioned above are possibilities, but your feedback will help shape what comes next.
What would you like to learn? Are there specific automation challenges you're facing that you'd like to see addressed? Do you have questions about Nautobot features or workflows that you'd like explored in detail?
Please share your thoughts, requests, and questions in the comments below. Your input will help prioritize which topics to cover next and ensure the series addresses real-world needs.
Getting Started
The first three posts are available now in the Nautobot Zero to Hero Tutorials section. Start with the installation post to get Nautobot running, then explore the platform capabilities and set up your lab environment.
Clone the repository, follow along with the posts, and start experimenting. The best way to learn network automation is by doing, and this series provides the structure and examples to get you started.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you build and hearing your feedback as you work through the series. Let's build amazing network automation together! 🚀
Have questions, suggestions, or requests for future posts? Leave a comment below and let me know what you'd like to see covered next in the series.