Installing Nautobot in Docker Containers¶

⚠️ IMPORTANT: This tutorial is for DEVELOPMENT purposes only. This setup is NOT suitable for production use.

This tutorial will guide you through setting up Nautobot using Docker containers for development purposes using the Nautobot Development Environment repository.

Prerequisites¶

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

Docker: Version 20.10 or later
Docker Compose: Version 2.0 or later
Git: For cloning the repository
Make: For running convenience commands (optional but recommended)

Step 1: Clone the Repository¶

First, clone the Nautobot development environment repository:

git clone https://github.com/bsmeding/nautobot_development_environment.git
cd nautobot_development_environment

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables¶

Copy the example environment file and configure it for your setup:

cp .env.example .env

Edit the .env file with your preferred settings. Key variables to configure:

# Database settings
POSTGRES_DB=nautobot
POSTGRES_USER=nautobot
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your_secure_password

# Redis settings
REDIS_PASSWORD=your_redis_password

# Nautobot settings
NAUTOBOT_SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key_here
NAUTOBOT_ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1
NAUTOBOT_SUPERUSER_NAME=admin
NAUTOBOT_SUPERUSER_EMAIL=admin@example.com
NAUTOBOT_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD=your_admin_password

Step 3: Build and Start the Containers¶

Use Docker Compose to build and start all services:

docker-compose up -d --build

This command will: - Build the Nautobot application container - Start PostgreSQL database - Start Redis for caching - Start the Nautobot web application

Step 4: Verify Installation¶

Check that all containers are running:

docker-compose ps

You should see all services (nautobot, postgres, redis) in the "Up" state.

Step 5: Initialize the Database¶

Run database migrations and create the superuser:

docker-compose exec nautobot nautobot-server migrate
docker-compose exec nautobot nautobot-server createsuperuser

Step 6: Access Nautobot¶

Once all services are running, you can access Nautobot at:

Web Interface: http://localhost:8080
API: http://localhost:8080/api/

Log in using the superuser credentials you created in Step 5.

Development Workflow¶

Making Code Changes¶

The repository is configured with volume mounts, so any changes you make to the Nautobot source code will be reflected immediately:

Make your changes to the code
The changes will be automatically detected
Restart the Nautobot container if needed: docker-compose restart nautobot

Running Commands¶

Execute Nautobot management commands:

# Run shell
docker-compose exec nautobot nautobot-server shell

# Run tests
docker-compose exec nautobot nautobot-server test

# Collect static files
docker-compose exec nautobot nautobot-server collectstatic --no-input

Viewing Logs¶

Monitor application logs:

# All services
docker-compose logs -f

# Specific service
docker-compose logs -f nautobot

Useful Commands¶

Stop Services¶

docker-compose down

Stop and Remove Volumes (Clean Slate)¶

docker-compose down -v

Rebuild After Dependencies Change¶

docker-compose up -d --build

Access Database¶

docker-compose exec postgres psql -U nautobot -d nautobot

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Port Already in Use: If port 8080 is already in use, change the port mapping in docker-compose.yml
Database Connection Issues: Ensure PostgreSQL container is fully started before Nautobot tries to connect
Permission Issues: Make sure Docker has proper permissions to access the project directory

Reset Everything¶

To completely reset your development environment:

docker-compose down -v
docker system prune -f
docker-compose up -d --build

Next Steps¶

Now that you have Nautobot running in Docker, you can:

Explore the web interface
Create your first devices and sites
Install and configure plugins
Develop custom applications
Contribute to the Nautobot project

For more information about Nautobot development, visit the official documentation.