Useful Network Automation Tools

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List of useful network automation tools found on the ’net:

• Network configuration auditing by Patrick Ogenstad
• Batfish, an open source network configuration analysis tool
• eNMS: a vendor-agnostic NMS for graphical network automation
• FreeZTP server: zero-touch provisioning server for Catalyst switches
• Rosetta: the missing link between network device CLI and YANG data models
• NetPalm: REST API interface to your dusty old network devices (using NAPALM and TextFSM as the back-end)
• Jerikan+Ansible: a network configuration management system

Ansible and Jinja2 tools:

• Online Jinja2 parser/renderer
• Jinja2 Linter (checks Jinja2 syntax and writing style)
• NetTowel providers a CLI interface to Jinja2 renderer and several popular text parsers
• Online Regex testing tool (described in a NetworkToCode blog post)
• Another Learn, Build and Test RegEx tool
• Ansible Silo
• Ansible MySQL Query
• Ansible Runtime Analysis
• Molecule - testing framework for Ansible roles
• ANIT - Ansible Network Infrastructure Testing framework
• Mitogen - completely redesigned Ansible connection layer. Unfortunately does not support network_cli connection plugin.

Python libraries:

• Hierarchical configuration library… and how to use it
• Yangify: a framework that maps unstructured data into YANG data models

• Netutils: a Python library providing utility functions for common network automation objects (ASN, FQDN, interfaces, IP addresses…)
• scrapli: a Python library focused on connecting to network devices (routers/switches/firewalls/etc.) via SSH or Telnet.
• NetTowel: a collection of useful network automation functions

Inventory tools:

• motherstarter: convert Excel, CSV, or JSON files into Ansible, Nornir, or pyATS inventories
• NetDoc: automated network discovery and documentation

Regular expression and parsing tools:

• NTC templates - a wide collection of TextFSM templates
• Online regular expressions tool
• Online regex tester and debugger
• Online visual regex tester
• TextFSM Code Lab
• Test your TextFSM templates like Chuck Norris - online TextFSM testing tool

Building web user interface:

• Building a web dashboard with Flask and Bootstrap
• Creating a Bootstrap front-end for a simple REST service

Other interesting tools:

• GraphViz: create graphs from text file descriptions
• Markmap: build mind maps from Markdown (HT: John Capobianco)
• NetGrph: IP network modeling database
• Rundeck: job scheduled and runbook automation
• docopt - command line interface description language (similar: clint, cement and invoke)
• Dolt, Git for data (see also Versionable Database blog post)
• Traffic generators open-sourced by Cisco Systems
• Ostinato: a packet crafter, network traffic generator and analyzer with a friendly GUI and powerful Python API for network test automation.

For an even wider list of network automation resources, check out the Awesome Network Automation repository.