Nornir: Introduction & Getting Started

Nornir is a pure Python automation framework for network engineers. It provides inventory management, task execution, and plugin support for network automation workflows.

Why Use Nornir?

• Automate network device configuration and validation
• Use Python for full programmability
• Integrate with other Python libraries and tools

How Nornir Works

• Inventory is defined in YAML or Python
• Tasks are Python functions (or plugins)
• Results are returned as Python objects for further processing

Quick Start Example

1. Install Nornir:

   pip install nornir
   

2. Create a simple inventory (inventory/hosts.yaml):

   r1:
     hostname: 192.0.2.1
     username: admin
     password: admin
   

3. Write a basic script (main.py):

   from nornir import InitNornir
   from nornir.core.task import Task, Result
   
   def hello_world(task: Task) -> Result:
       return Result(host=task.host, result=f"Hello from {task.host.name}")
   
   nr = InitNornir()
   result = nr.run(task=hello_world)
   print(result)
   

4. Run the script:

   python main.py
   

Learn More

• Nornir Documentation
• Getting Started Guide