* Initial work on #10247
* Continued work on #10247
* Clean up component creation tests
* Move valdiation of replicated field to form
* Clean up ordering of fields in component creation forms
* Omit fieldset header if none
* Clean up ordering of fields in component template creation forms
* View tests should not move component templates to new device type
* Define replication_fields on VMInterfaceCreateForm
* Clean up expandable field help texts
* Update comments
* Update component bulk update forms & views to support new replication fields
* Fix ModularDeviceComponentForm parent class
* Fix bulk creation of VM interfaces (thanks @kkthxbye-code!)
Closes: #9906
- Adds `color` field to front and rearport template import forms
- Adds `color` field to `to_yaml` export for front and rearport
templates
Prefetch the Tenant Group in views which allows its table to be configured
by the user. This decreases the amount of database queries that are required
to fetch the data.
Configure the prefetch to also include the Tenant Group, avoids additional
database queries when the Tenant Group column is to be rendered.
NOTE: If no personalisation of the global search tables should be done,
this commit can be reverted.
Replaces all usages of the TenantColumn with the new TenancyColumnsMixin.
This enables the user to add a column for Tenant Group on all tables which
also has a column for Tenant.
Works the same as the existing TenantColumn, but displats the Tenant Group of
the Tenant.
Views should prefetch the Tenants Group for this to be efficient in large
tables.
* Closes#9396 - Added ability to query modules by module bay & installed_modules for module bay REST API endpoint
* Closes#9396 - Added ability to query modules by module bay & installed_modules for module bay REST API endpoint
* Closes#9396 - Added ability to query modules by module bay & installed_modules for module bay REST API endpoint
Fixes#8920
Limits the amount of non-racked devices on Site and Location view to 10 and provides a link to the device list this is pre-filtered to the relevant site or location.
When using permissions that use tags, a user may receive multiple permissions
of the same type if multiple tags are assigned to the device. This causes the
RestrictedQuerySet class to generate a query similar to this:
>>> dcim.models.Device.objects.filter(Q(tags__name='tag1')|Q(tags__name='tag2'))
<ConfigContextModelQuerySet [<Device: device1>, <Device: device1>]>
This query returns the same object twice if both tags are assigned to it. This
is due to the use of the django-taggit library. The library's documentation
describes this behavior as expected and suggests using an explicit distinct()
call in queries to avoid duplicates.
However, the use of DISTINCT in queries has a global side effect -
deduplication of responses, which may or may not be acceptable behavior
(depending on further use). Since it is not known how RestrictedQuerySet will
be used in the rest of the code, it was decided to dedupe using a subquery.
In the current documentation we have two seemingly conflicting sentences:
* REMOTE_AUTH_DEFAULT_GROUPS: (Requires REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED.)
* REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED: (REMOTE_AUTH_DEFAULT_GROUPS will not function if REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED is enabled)
* Fixes#8398: Add ConfigParam.size to enlarge specific config fields
* Revert "Fixes #8398: Add ConfigParam.size to enlarge specific config fields"
This reverts commit 05e8fff458.
* Use forms.Textarea for the banner config fields
created & last_updated fields are missing from some REST API calls. Added missing fields to the following API calls
/api/dcim/virtual-chassis/
/api/dcim/cables/
/api/dcim/power-panels/
/api/dcim/rack-reservations/
/api/circuits/circuit-terminations/
/api/extras/webhooks/
/api/extras/custom-fields/
/api/extras/custom-links/
/api/extras/export-templates/
/api/extras/tags/
Adds two fields to all relevant tables to allow the addition of Created & Last Updated columns.
All tables with a Configure Table option were updated.
Some sections reformatted to comply with E501 line length as a result of changes
* Updating asdot computation to use an fstring
* Cleaning code. Custom property now returns either the ASN with ASDOT notation or just the ASN. asn_with_asdot can now be referenced in ASNTable & objet template.
Adds custom property to asn model to compute asdot notation if required.
Updates asn view to show asdot notation if one exists in the format xxxxx (yyy.yyy)
Adds a custom column renderer to asn table to display asdot notation if one exists
A device that is part of a VC that has no name should display [virtual-chassis name]:[virtual-chassis position] as opposed to [device_type] in the rack rendering.
Adds a custom column class to format the commit rate in the circuits table view using humanize_speed template helper. Export still exports the raw number.
Updating site location list to visually match the /dcim/locations list where child locations are "indtended" with mdi-circle-small.
Also removes the padding-left attribute on each row as it is no longer functional.
* Re-instates ASN field on Site model
* Re-instates ASN field on Site view
* Re-instates ASN field on edit form and API, except for where forms instances are new (add site) or instance does not have any existing AS data
* Does not re-instate asn field on SiteBulkEditForm
* Does not re-instate ASN field on SiteTable
* Does not re-instate filter for filterset, but does allow filtering by query (q=34342)
* Does not include tests for ASN field on Site model due to planned deprecation
fix incorrect assumption about when to run the group sync
Add documentation for new Settings
format to autopep8 compliance
add first set of basic testcases
format test to comply with pep8
rename SEPERATOR to SEPARATOR
remove accidentally carried over parameter
[](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/issues)
[](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/pulls)
<br />Stats via [Repography](https://repography.com)
## About NetBox
Myriad infrastructure components can be modeled in NetBox, including:
* Hierarchical regions, site groups, sites, and locations
* Racks, devices, and device components
* Cables and wireless connections
* Power distribution
* Data circuits and providers
* Virtual machines and clusters
* IP prefixes, ranges, and addresses
* VRFs and route targets
* L2VPN and overlays
* FHRP groups (VRRP, HSRP, etc.)
* AS numbers
* VLANs and scoped VLAN groups
* Organizational tenants and contacts
In addition to its extensive built-in models and functionality, NetBox can be
customized and extended through the use of:
* Custom fields
* Custom links
* Configuration contexts
* Custom model validation rules
* Reports
* Custom scripts
* Export templates
* Conditional webhooks
* Plugins
* Single sign-on (SSO) authentication
* NAPALM integration
* Detailed change logging
NetBox also features a complete REST API as well as a GraphQL API for easily
integrating with other tools and systems.
The complete documentation for NetBox can be found at [docs.netbox.dev](https://docs.netbox.dev/).
A public demo instance is available at [demo.netbox.dev](https://demo.netbox.dev).
NetBox runs as a web application atop the [Django](https://www.djangoproject.com/)
Python framework with a [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/) database. For a
complete list of requirements, see `requirements.txt`. The code is available [on GitHub](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox).
The complete documentation for NetBox can be found at [Read the Docs](https://netbox.readthedocs.io/en/stable/). A public demo instance is available at https://demo.netbox.dev.
complete list of requirements, see `requirements.txt`. The code is available
@@ -33,11 +83,10 @@ The complete documentation for NetBox can be found at [Read the Docs](https://ne
* [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/discussions) - Discussion forum hosted by GitHub; ideal for Q&A and other structured discussions
* [Slack](https://netdev.chat/) - Real-time chat hosted by the NetDev Community; best for unstructured discussion or just hanging out
* [Google Group](https://groups.google.com/g/netbox-discuss) - Legacy mailing list; slowly being replaced by GitHub discussions
### Installation
Please see [the documentation](https://netbox.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) for
Please see [the documentation](https://docs.netbox.dev/) for
instructions on installing NetBox. To upgrade NetBox, please download the
[latest release](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/releases) and
run `upgrade.sh`.
@@ -54,8 +103,6 @@ our [contributing guide](CONTRIBUTING.md) prior to beginning any work.
### Screenshots
Per the terms of the Apache 2 license, NetBox is offered "as is" and without any guarantee or warranty pertaining to its operation. While every reasonable effort is made by its maintainers to ensure the product remains free of security vulnerabilities, users are ultimately responsible for conducting their own evaluations of each software release.
## Recommendations
Administrators are encouraged to adhere to industry best practices concerning the secure operation of software, such as:
* Do not expose your NetBox installation to the public Internet
* Do not permit multiple users to share an account
* Enforce minimum password complexity requirements for local accounts
* Prohibit access to your database from clients other than the NetBox application
* Keep your deployment updated to the most recent stable release
## Reporting a Suspected Vulnerability
If you believe you've uncovered a security vulnerability and wish to report it confidentially, you may do so via email. Please note that any reported vulnerabilities **MUST** meet all the following conditions:
* Affects the most recent stable release of NetBox, or a current beta release
* Affects a NetBox instance installed and configured per the official documentation
* Is reproducible following a prescribed set of instructions
Please note that we **DO NOT** accept reports generated by automated tooling which merely suggest that a file or file(s) _may_ be vulnerable under certain conditions, as these are most often innocuous.
If you believe that you've found a vulnerability which meets all of these conditions, please email a brief description of the suspected bug and instructions for reproduction to **security@netbox.dev**. For any security concerns regarding NetBox deployed via Docker, please see the [netbox-docker](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox-docker) project.
### Bug Bounties
As NetBox is provided as free open source software, we do not offer any monetary compensation for vulnerability or bug reports, however your contributions are greatly appreciated.
This guide explains how to configure single sign-on (SSO) support for NetBox using [Microsoft Azure Active Directory (AD)](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/active-directory/) as an authentication backend.
## Azure AD Configuration
### 1. Create a test user (optional)
Create a new user in AD to be used for testing. You can skip this step if you already have a suitable account created.
### 2. Create an app registration
Under the Azure Active Directory dashboard, navigate to **Add > App registration**.
Enter a name for the registration (e.g. "NetBox") and ensure that the "single tenant" option is selected.
Under "Redirect URI", select "Web" for the platform and enter the path to your NetBox installation, ending with `/oauth/complete/azuread-oauth2/`. Note that this URI **must** begin with `https://` unless you are referencing localhost (for development purposes).
NetBox also supports multitenant authentication via Azure AD, however it requires a different backend and an additional configuration parameter. Please see the [`python-social-auth` documentation](https://python-social-auth.readthedocs.io/en/latest/backends/azuread.html#tenant-support) for details concerning multitenant authentication.
### 3. Create a secret
When viewing the newly-created app registration, click the "Add a certificate or secret" link under "Client credentials". Under the "Client secrets" tab, click the "New client secret" button.
You can optionally specify a description and select a lifetime for the secret.
Restart the NetBox services so that the new configuration takes effect. This is typically done with the command below:
```no-highlight
sudo systemctl restart netbox
```
## Testing
Log out of NetBox if already authenticated, and click the "Log In" button at top right. You should see the normal login form as well as an option to authenticate using Azure AD. Click that link.
You should be redirected to Microsoft's authentication portal. Enter the username/email and password of your test account to continue. You may also be prompted to grant this application access to your account.
If successful, you will be redirected back to the NetBox UI, and will be logged in as the AD user. You can verify this by navigating to your profile (using the button at top right).
This user account has been replicated locally to NetBox, and can now be assigned groups and permissions within the NetBox admin UI.
## Troubleshooting
### Redirect URI does not Match
Azure requires that the authenticating client request a redirect URI that matches what you've configured for the app in step two. This URI **must** begin with `https://` (unless using `localhost` for the domain).
If Azure complains that the requested URI starts with `http://` (not HTTPS), it's likely that your HTTP server is misconfigured or sitting behind a load balancer, so NetBox is not aware that HTTPS is being use. To force the use of an HTTPS redirect URI, set `SOCIAL_AUTH_REDIRECT_IS_HTTPS = True` in `configuration.py` per the [python-social-auth docs](https://python-social-auth.readthedocs.io/en/latest/configuration/settings.html#processing-redirects-and-urlopen).
### Not Logged in After Authenticating
If you are redirected to the NetBox UI after authenticating successfully, but are _not_ logged in, double-check the configured backend and app registration. The instructions in this guide pertain only to the `azuread.AzureADOAuth2` backend using a single-tenant app registration.
This guide explains how to configure single sign-on (SSO) support for NetBox using [Okta](https://www.okta.com/) as an authentication backend.
## Okta Configuration
!!! tip "Okta developer account"
Okta offers free developer accounts at <https://developer.okta.com/>.
### 1. Create a test user (optional)
Create a new user in the Okta admin portal to be used for testing. You can skip this step if you already have a suitable account created.
### 2. Create an app registration
Within the Okta administration dashboard, navigate to **Applications > Applications**, and click the "Create App Integration" button. Select "OIDC" as the sign-in method, and "Web application" for the application type.
On the next page, give the app integration a name (e.g. "NetBox") and specify the sign-in and sign-out URIs. These URIs should follow the formats below:
Restart the NetBox services so that the new configuration takes effect. This is typically done with the command below:
```no-highlight
sudo systemctl restart netbox
```
## Testing
Log out of NetBox if already authenticated, and click the "Log In" button at top right. You should see the normal login form as well as an option to authenticate using Okta. Click that link.
You should be redirected to Okta's authentication portal. Enter the username/email and password of your test account to continue. You may also be prompted to grant this application access to your account.
If successful, you will be redirected back to the NetBox UI, and will be logged in as the Okta user. You can verify this by navigating to your profile (using the button at top right).
This user account has been replicated locally to NetBox, and can now be assigned groups and permissions within the NetBox admin UI.
Local user accounts and groups can be created in NetBox under the "Authentication and Authorization" section of the administrative user interface. This interface is available only to users with the "staff" permission enabled.
At a minimum, each user account must have a username and password set. User accounts may also denote a first name, last name, and email address. [Permissions](../permissions.md) may also be assigned to users and/or groups within the admin UI.
## Remote Authentication
NetBox may be configured to provide user authenticate via a remote backend in addition to local authentication. This is done by setting the `REMOTE_AUTH_BACKEND` configuration parameter to a suitable backend class. NetBox provides several options for remote authentication.
NetBox includes an authentication backend which supports LDAP. See the [LDAP installation docs](../../installation/6-ldap.md) for more detail about this backend.
Another option for remote authentication in NetBox is to enable HTTP header-based user assignment. The front end HTTP server (e.g. nginx or Apache) performs client authentication as a process external to NetBox, and passes information about the authenticated user via HTTP headers. By default, the user is assigned via the `REMOTE_USER` header, but this can be customized via the `REMOTE_AUTH_HEADER` configuration parameter.
NetBox supports single sign-on authentication via the [python-social-auth](https://github.com/python-social-auth) library. To enable SSO, specify the path to the desired authentication backend within the `social_core` Python package. Please see the complete list of [supported authentication backends](https://github.com/python-social-auth/social-core/tree/master/social_core/backends) for the available options.
Most remote authentication backends require some additional configuration through settings prefixed with `SOCIAL_AUTH_`. These will be automatically imported from NetBox's `configuration.py` file. Additionally, the [authentication pipeline](https://python-social-auth.readthedocs.io/en/latest/pipeline.html) can be customized via the `SOCIAL_AUTH_PIPELINE` parameter. (NetBox's default pipeline is defined in `netbox/settings.py` for your reference.)
NetBox v3.2.3 and later support native integration with [Sentry](https://sentry.io/) for automatic error reporting. To enable this functionality, simply set `SENTRY_ENABLED` to True in `configuration.py`. Errors will be sent to a Sentry ingestor maintained by the NetBox team for analysis.
```python
SENTRY_ENABLED=True
```
### Using a Custom DSN
If you prefer instead to use your own Sentry ingestor, you'll need to first create a new project under your Sentry account to represent your NetBox deployment and obtain its corresponding data source name (DSN). This looks like a URL similar to the example below:
```
https://examplePublicKey@o0.ingest.sentry.io/0
```
Once you have obtained a DSN, configure Sentry in NetBox's `configuration.py` file with the following parameters:
You can optionally attach one or more arbitrary tags to the outgoing error reports if desired by setting the `SENTRY_TAGS` parameter:
```python
SENTRY_TAGS={
"custom.foo":"123",
"custom.bar":"abc",
}
```
!!! warning "Reserved tag prefixes"
Avoid using any tag names which begin with `netbox.`, as this prefix is reserved by the NetBox application.
### Testing
Once the configuration has been saved, restart the NetBox service.
To test Sentry operation, try generating a 404 (page not found) error by navigating to an invalid URL, such as `https://netbox/404-error-testing`. (Be sure that debug mode has been disabled.) After receiving a 404 response from the NetBox server, you should see the issue appear shortly in Sentry.
NetBox includes a `housekeeping` management command that should be run nightly. This command handles:
* Clearing expired authentication sessions from the database
* Deleting changelog records older than the configured [retention time](../configuration/optional-settings.md#changelog_retention)
* Deleting changelog records older than the configured [retention time](../configuration/miscellaneous.md#changelog_retention)
* Deleting job result records older than the configured [retention time](../configuration/miscellaneous.md#jobresult_retention)
This command can be invoked directly, or by using the shell script provided at `/opt/netbox/contrib/netbox-housekeeping.sh`. This script can be copied into your cron scheduler's daily jobs directory (e.g. `/etc/cron.daily`) or referenced directly within the cron configuration file.
This command can be invoked directly, or by using the shell script provided at `/opt/netbox/contrib/netbox-housekeeping.sh`. This script can be linked from your cron scheduler's daily jobs directory (e.g. `/etc/cron.daily`) or referenced directly within the cron configuration file.
The `housekeeping` command can also be run manually at any time: Running the command outside of scheduled execution times will not interfere with its operation.
On Debian-based systems, be sure to omit the `.sh` file extension when linking to the script from within a cron directory. Otherwise, the task may not run.
The `housekeeping` command can also be run manually at any time: Running the command outside scheduled execution times will not interfere with its operation.
NetBox v2.9 introduced a new object-based permissions framework, which replace's Django's built-in permissions model. Object-based permissions enable an administrator to grant users or groups the ability to perform an action on arbitrary subsets of objects in NetBox, rather than all objects of a certain type. For example, it is possible to grant a user permission to view only sites within a particular region, or to modify only VLANs with a numeric ID within a certain range.
NetBox v2.9 introduced a new object-based permissions framework, which replaces Django's built-in permissions model. Object-based permissions enable an administrator to grant users or groups the ability to perform an action on arbitrary subsets of objects in NetBox, rather than all objects of a certain type. For example, it is possible to grant a user permission to view only sites within a particular region, or to modify only VLANs with a numeric ID within a certain range.
{!docs/models/users/objectpermission.md!}
A permission in NetBox represents a relationship shared by several components:
### Example Constraint Definitions
* Object type(s) - One or more types of object in NetBox
* User(s)/Group(s) - One or more users or groups of users
* Action(s) - The action(s) that can be performed on an object
* Constraints - An arbitrary filter used to limit the granted action(s) to a specific subset of objects
At a minimum, a permission assignment must specify one object type, one user or group, and one action. The specification of constraints is optional: A permission without any constraints specified will apply to all instances of the selected model(s).
## Actions
There are four core actions that can be permitted for each type of object within NetBox, roughly analogous to the CRUD convention (create, read, update, and delete):
* **View** - Retrieve an object from the database
* **Add** - Create a new object
* **Change** - Modify an existing object
* **Delete** - Delete an existing object
In addition to these, permissions can also grant custom actions that may be required by a specific model or plugin. For example, the `napalm_read` permission on the device model allows a user to execute NAPALM queries on a device via NetBox's REST API. These can be specified when granting a permission in the "additional actions" field.
!!! note
Internally, all actions granted by a permission (both built-in and custom) are stored as strings in an array field named `actions`.
## Constraints
Constraints are expressed as a JSON object or list representing a [Django query filter](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/models/querysets/#field-lookups). This is the same syntax that you would pass to the QuerySet `filter()` method when performing a query using the Django ORM. As with query filters, double underscores can be used to traverse related objects or invoke lookup expressions. Some example queries and their corresponding definitions are shown below.
All attributes defined within a single JSON object are applied with a logical AND. For example, suppose you assign a permission for the site model with the following constraints.
```json
{
"status":"active",
"region__name":"Americas"
}
```
The permission will grant access only to sites which have a status of "active" **and** which are assigned to the "Americas" region.
To achieve a logical OR with a different set of constraints, define multiple objects within a list. For example, if you want to constrain the permission to VLANs with an ID between 100 and 199 _or_ a status of "reserved," do the following:
```json
[
{
"vid__gte":100,
"vid__lt":200
},
{
"status":"reserved"
}
]
```
Additionally, where multiple permissions have been assigned for an object type, their collective constraints will be merged using a logical "OR" operation.
### User Token
!!! info "This feature was introduced in NetBox v3.3"
When defining a permission constraint, administrators may use the special token `$user` to reference the current user at the time of evaluation. This can be helpful to restrict users to editing only their own journal entries, for example. Such a constraint might be defined as:
```json
{
"created_by":"$user"
}
```
The `$user` token can be used only as a constraint value, or as an item within a list of values. It cannot be modified or extended to reference specific user attributes.
@@ -71,14 +71,3 @@ To extract the saved archive into a new installation, run the following from the
```no-highlight
tar -xf netbox_media.tar.gz
```
---
## Cache Invalidation
If you are migrating your instance of NetBox to a different machine, be sure to first invalidate the cache on the original instance by issuing the `invalidate all` management command (within the Python virtual environment):
This is a mapping of models to [custom validators](../customization/custom-validation.md) that have been defined locally to enforce custom validation logic. An example is provided below:
```python
CUSTOM_VALIDATORS={
"dcim.site":[
{
"name":{
"min_length":5,
"max_length":30
}
},
"my_plugin.validators.Validator1"
],
"dim.device":[
"my_plugin.validators.Validator1"
]
}
```
---
## FIELD_CHOICES
Some static choice fields on models can be configured with custom values. This is done by defining `FIELD_CHOICES` as a dictionary mapping model fields to their choices. Each choice in the list must have a database value and a human-friendly label, and may optionally specify a color. (A list of available colors is provided below.)
The choices provided can either replace the stock choices provided by NetBox, or append to them. To _replace_ the available choices, specify the app, model, and field name separated by dots. For example, the site model would be referenced as `dcim.Site.status`. To _extend_ the available choices, append a plus sign to the end of this string (e.g. `dcim.Site.status+`).
For example, the following configuration would replace the default site status choices with the options Foo, Bar, and Baz:
```python
FIELD_CHOICES={
'dcim.Site.status':(
('foo','Foo','red'),
('bar','Bar','green'),
('baz','Baz','blue'),
)
}
```
Appending a plus sign to the field identifier would instead _add_ these choices to the ones already offered:
```python
FIELD_CHOICES={
'dcim.Site.status+':(
...
)
}
```
The following model fields support configurable choices:
The time zone NetBox will use when dealing with dates and times. It is recommended to use UTC time unless you have a specific need to use a local time zone. Please see the [list of available time zones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones).
## Date and Time Formatting
You may define custom formatting for date and times. For detailed instructions on writing format strings, please see [the Django documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/templates/builtins/#date). Default formats are listed below.
```python
DATE_FORMAT='N j, Y'# June 26, 2016
SHORT_DATE_FORMAT='Y-m-d'# 2016-06-26
TIME_FORMAT='g:i a'# 1:23 p.m.
SHORT_TIME_FORMAT='H:i:s'# 13:23:00
DATETIME_FORMAT='N j, Y g:i a'# June 26, 2016 1:23 p.m.
This is a dictionary defining the default preferences to be set for newly-created user accounts. For example, to set the default page size for all users to 100, define the following:
```python
DEFAULT_USER_PREFERENCES={
"pagination":{
"per_page":100
}
}
```
For a complete list of available preferences, log into NetBox and navigate to `/user/preferences/`. A period in a preference name indicates a level of nesting in the JSON data. The example above maps to `pagination.per_page`.
---
## PAGINATE_COUNT
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 50
The default maximum number of objects to display per page within each list of objects.
---
## POWERFEED_DEFAULT_AMPERAGE
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 15
The default value for the `amperage` field when creating new power feeds.
---
## POWERFEED_DEFAULT_MAX_UTILIZATION
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 80
The default value (percentage) for the `max_utilization` field when creating new power feeds.
---
## POWERFEED_DEFAULT_VOLTAGE
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 120
The default value for the `voltage` field when creating new power feeds.
---
## RACK_ELEVATION_DEFAULT_UNIT_HEIGHT
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 22
Default height (in pixels) of a unit within a rack elevation. For best results, this should be approximately one tenth of `RACK_ELEVATION_DEFAULT_UNIT_WIDTH`.
---
## RACK_ELEVATION_DEFAULT_UNIT_WIDTH
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 220
Default width (in pixels) of a unit within a rack elevation.
This setting enables debugging. Debugging should be enabled only during development or troubleshooting. Note that only
clients which access NetBox from a recognized [internal IP address](#internal_ips) will see debugging tools in the user
interface.
!!! warning
Never enable debugging on a production system, as it can expose sensitive data to unauthenticated users and impose a
substantial performance penalty.
---
## DEVELOPER
Default: False
This parameter serves as a safeguard to prevent some potentially dangerous behavior, such as generating new database schema migrations. Set this to `True`**only** if you are actively developing the NetBox code base.
Set to True to enable automatic error reporting via [Sentry](https://sentry.io/).
---
## SENTRY_SAMPLE_RATE
Default: 1.0 (all)
The sampling rate for errors. Must be a value between 0 (disabled) and 1.0 (report on all errors).
---
## SENTRY_TAGS
An optional dictionary of tag names and values to apply to Sentry error reports.For example:
```
SENTRY_TAGS = {
"custom.foo": "123",
"custom.bar": "abc",
}
```
!!! warning "Reserved tag prefixes"
Avoid using any tag names which begin with `netbox.`, as this prefix is reserved by the NetBox application.
---
## SENTRY_TRACES_SAMPLE_RATE
Default: 0 (disabled)
The sampling rate for transactions. Must be a value between 0 (disabled) and 1.0 (report on all transactions).
!!! warning "Consider performance implications"
A high sampling rate for transactions can induce significant performance penalties. If transaction reporting is desired, it is recommended to use a relatively low sample rate of 10% to 20% (0.1 to 0.2).
NetBox's local configuration is stored in `$INSTALL_ROOT/netbox/netbox/configuration.py`. An example configuration is provided as `configuration.example.py`. You may copy or rename the example configuration and make changes as appropriate. NetBox will not run without a configuration file.
## Configuration File
While NetBox has many configuration settings, only a few of them must be defined at the time of installation.
NetBox's configuration file contains all the important parameters which control how NetBox functions: database settings, security controls, user preferences, and so on. While the default configuration suffices out of the box for most use cases, there are a few [required parameters](./required-parameters.md) which **must** be defined during installation.
## Configuration Parameters
The configuration file is loaded from `$INSTALL_ROOT/netbox/netbox/configuration.py` by default. An example configuration is provided at `configuration_example.py`, which you may copy to use as your default config. Note that a configuration file must be defined; NetBox will not run without one.
* [Required settings](required-settings.md)
* [Optional settings](optional-settings.md)
!!! info "Customizing the Configuration Module"
A custom configuration module may be specified by setting the `NETBOX_CONFIGURATION` environment variable. This must be a dotted path to the desired Python module. For example, a file named `my_config.py` in the same directory as `settings.py` would be referenced as `netbox.my_config`.
## Changing the Configuration
To keep things simple, the NetBox documentation refers to the configuration file simply as `configuration.py`.
Configuration settings may be changed at any time. However, the WSGI service (e.g. Gunicorn) must be restarted before the changes will take effect:
Some configuration parameters may alternatively be defined either in `configuration.py` or within the administrative section of the user interface. Settings which are "hard-coded" in the configuration file take precedence over those defined via the UI.
## Dynamic Configuration Parameters
Some configuration parameters are primarily controlled via NetBox's admin interface (under Admin > Extras > Configuration Revisions). These are noted where applicable in the documentation. These settings may also be overridden in `configuration.py` to prevent them from being modified via the UI. A complete list of supported parameters is provided below:
NetBox will email details about critical errors to the administrators listed here. This should be a list of (name, email) tuples. For example:
```python
ADMINS=[
['Hank Hill','hhill@example.com'],
['Dale Gribble','dgribble@example.com'],
]
```
---
## BANNER_BOTTOM
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Sets content for the bottom banner in the user interface.
---
## BANNER_LOGIN
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
This defines custom content to be displayed on the login page above the login form. HTML is allowed.
---
## BANNER_TOP
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Sets content for the top banner in the user interface.
!!! tip
If you'd like the top and bottom banners to match, set the following:
```python
BANNER_TOP = 'Your banner text'
BANNER_BOTTOM = BANNER_TOP
```
---
## CHANGELOG_RETENTION
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 90
The number of days to retain logged changes (object creations, updates, and deletions). Set this to `0` to retain
changes in the database indefinitely.
!!! warning
If enabling indefinite changelog retention, it is recommended to periodically delete old entries. Otherwise, the database may eventually exceed capacity.
---
## ENFORCE_GLOBAL_UNIQUE
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: False
By default, NetBox will permit users to create duplicate prefixes and IP addresses in the global table (that is, those which are not assigned to any VRF). This behavior can be disabled by setting `ENFORCE_GLOBAL_UNIQUE` to True.
---
## GRAPHQL_ENABLED
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: True
Setting this to False will disable the GraphQL API.
---
## JOBRESULT_RETENTION
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 90
The number of days to retain job results (scripts and reports). Set this to `0` to retain
job results in the database indefinitely.
!!! warning
If enabling indefinite job results retention, it is recommended to periodically delete old entries. Otherwise, the database may eventually exceed capacity.
---
## MAINTENANCE_MODE
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: False
Setting this to True will display a "maintenance mode" banner at the top of every page. Additionally, NetBox will no longer update a user's "last active" time upon login. This is to allow new logins when the database is in a read-only state. Recording of login times will resume when maintenance mode is disabled.
This specifies the URL to use when presenting a map of a physical location by street address or GPS coordinates. The URL must accept either a free-form street address or a comma-separated pair of numeric coordinates appended to it.
---
## MAX_PAGE_SIZE
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 1000
A web user or API consumer can request an arbitrary number of objects by appending the "limit" parameter to the URL (e.g. `?limit=1000`). This parameter defines the maximum acceptable limit. Setting this to `0` or `None` will allow a client to retrieve _all_ matching objects at once with no limit by specifying `?limit=0`.
---
## METRICS_ENABLED
Default: False
Toggle the availability Prometheus-compatible metrics at `/metrics`. See the [Prometheus Metrics](../integrations/prometheus-metrics.md) documentation for more details.
---
## PREFER_IPV4
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: False
When determining the primary IP address for a device, IPv6 is preferred over IPv4 by default. Set this to True to prefer IPv4 instead.
---
## RELEASE_CHECK_URL
Default: None (disabled)
This parameter defines the URL of the repository that will be checked for new NetBox releases. When a new release is detected, a message will be displayed to administrative users on the home page. This can be set to the official repository (`'https://api.github.com/repos/netbox-community/netbox/releases'`) or a custom fork. Set this to `None` to disable automatic update checks.
!!! note
The URL provided **must** be compatible with the [GitHub REST API](https://docs.github.com/en/rest).
---
## RQ_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT
Default: `300`
The maximum execution time of a background task (such as running a custom script), in seconds.
NetBox will use these credentials when authenticating to remote devices via the supported [NAPALM integration](../integrations/napalm.md), if installed. Both parameters are optional.
!!! note
If SSH public key authentication has been set up on the remote device(s) for the system account under which NetBox runs, these parameters are not needed.
---
## NAPALM_ARGS
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
A dictionary of optional arguments to pass to NAPALM when instantiating a network driver. See the NAPALM documentation for a [complete list of optional arguments](https://napalm.readthedocs.io/en/latest/support/#optional-arguments). An example:
```python
NAPALM_ARGS={
'api_key':'472071a93b60a1bd1fafb401d9f8ef41',
'port':2222,
}
```
Some platforms (e.g. Cisco IOS) require an argument named `secret` to be passed in addition to the normal password. If desired, you can use the configured `NAPALM_PASSWORD` as the value for this argument:
```python
NAPALM_USERNAME='username'
NAPALM_PASSWORD='MySecretPassword'
NAPALM_ARGS={
'secret':NAPALM_PASSWORD,
# Include any additional args here
}
```
---
## NAPALM_TIMEOUT
!!! tip "Dynamic Configuration Parameter"
Default: 30 seconds
The amount of time (in seconds) to wait for NAPALM to connect to a device.
A list of permitted URL schemes referenced when rendering links within NetBox. Note that only the schemes specified in this list will be accepted: If adding your own, be sure to replicate all of the default values as well (excluding those schemes which are not desirable).
---
## BANNER_TOP
## BANNER_BOTTOM
Setting these variables will display custom content in a banner at the top and/or bottom of the page, respectively. HTML is allowed. To replicate the content of the top banner in the bottom banner, set:
```python
BANNER_TOP='Your banner text'
BANNER_BOTTOM=BANNER_TOP
```
---
## BANNER_LOGIN
This defines custom content to be displayed on the login page above the login form. HTML is allowed.
---
## BASE_PATH
Default: None
The base URL path to use when accessing NetBox. Do not include the scheme or domain name. For example, if installed at https://example.com/netbox/, set:
```python
BASE_PATH='netbox/'
```
---
## CHANGELOG_RETENTION
Default: 90
The number of days to retain logged changes (object creations, updates, and deletions). Set this to `0` to retain
changes in the database indefinitely.
!!! warning
If enabling indefinite changelog retention, it is recommended to periodically delete old entries. Otherwise, the database may eventually exceed capacity.
---
## CORS_ORIGIN_ALLOW_ALL
Default: False
If True, cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) requests will be accepted from all origins. If False, a whitelist will be used (see below).
---
## CORS_ORIGIN_WHITELIST
## CORS_ORIGIN_REGEX_WHITELIST
These settings specify a list of origins that are authorized to make cross-site API requests. Use
`CORS_ORIGIN_WHITELIST` to define a list of exact hostnames, or `CORS_ORIGIN_REGEX_WHITELIST` to define a set of regular
expressions. (These settings have no effect if `CORS_ORIGIN_ALLOW_ALL` is True.) For example:
```python
CORS_ORIGIN_WHITELIST=[
'https://example.com',
]
```
---
## CUSTOM_VALIDATORS
This is a mapping of models to [custom validators](../customization/custom-validation.md) that have been defined locally to enforce custom validation logic. An example is provided below:
```python
CUSTOM_VALIDATORS={
'dcim.site':(
Validator1,
Validator2,
Validator3
)
}
```
---
## DEBUG
Default: False
This setting enables debugging. Debugging should be enabled only during development or troubleshooting. Note that only
clients which access NetBox from a recognized [internal IP address](#internal_ips) will see debugging tools in the user
interface.
!!! warning
Never enable debugging on a production system, as it can expose sensitive data to unauthenticated users and impose a
substantial performance penalty.
---
## DEVELOPER
Default: False
This parameter serves as a safeguard to prevent some potentially dangerous behavior, such as generating new database schema migrations. Set this to `True`**only** if you are actively developing the NetBox code base.
---
## DOCS_ROOT
Default: `$INSTALL_ROOT/docs/`
The filesystem path to NetBox's documentation. This is used when presenting context-sensitive documentation in the web UI. By default, this will be the `docs/` directory within the root NetBox installation path. (Set this to `None` to disable the embedded documentation.)
---
## EMAIL
In order to send email, NetBox needs an email server configured. The following items can be defined within the `EMAIL` configuration parameter:
*`SERVER` - Hostname or IP address of the email server (use `localhost` if running locally)
*`PORT` - TCP port to use for the connection (default: `25`)
*`USERNAME` - Username with which to authenticate
*`PASSSWORD` - Password with which to authenticate
*`USE_SSL` - Use SSL when connecting to the server (default: `False`)
*`USE_TLS` - Use TLS when connecting to the server (default: `False`)
*`SSL_CERTFILE` - Path to the PEM-formatted SSL certificate file (optional)
*`SSL_KEYFILE` - Path to the PEM-formatted SSL private key file (optional)
*`TIMEOUT` - Amount of time to wait for a connection, in seconds (default: `10`)
*`FROM_EMAIL` - Sender address for emails sent by NetBox
!!! note
The `USE_SSL` and `USE_TLS` parameters are mutually exclusive.
Email is sent from NetBox only for critical events or if configured for [logging](#logging). If you would like to test the email server configuration, Django provides a convenient [send_mail()](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/email/#send-mail) function accessible within the NetBox shell:
```no-highlight
# python ./manage.py nbshell
>>> from django.core.mail import send_mail
>>> send_mail(
'Test Email Subject',
'Test Email Body',
'noreply-netbox@example.com',
['users@example.com'],
fail_silently=False
)
```
---
## ENFORCE_GLOBAL_UNIQUE
Default: False
By default, NetBox will permit users to create duplicate prefixes and IP addresses in the global table (that is, those which are not assigned to any VRF). This behavior can be disabled by setting `ENFORCE_GLOBAL_UNIQUE` to True.
---
## EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS
Default: Empty list
A list of NetBox models to exempt from the enforcement of view permissions. Models listed here will be viewable by all users, both authenticated and anonymous.
List models in the form `<app>.<model>`. For example:
```python
EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS = [
'dcim.site',
'dcim.region',
'ipam.prefix',
]
```
To exempt _all_ models from view permission enforcement, set the following. (Note that `EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS` must be an iterable.)
```python
EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS = ['*']
```
!!! note
Using a wildcard will not affect certain potentially sensitive models, such as user permissions. If there is a need to exempt these models, they must be specified individually.
---
## GRAPHQL_ENABLED
Default: True
Setting this to False will disable the GraphQL API.
---
## HTTP_PROXIES
Default: None
A dictionary of HTTP proxies to use for outbound requests originating from NetBox (e.g. when sending webhook requests). Proxies should be specified by schema (HTTP and HTTPS) as per the [Python requests library documentation](https://2.python-requests.org/en/master/user/advanced/). For example:
```python
HTTP_PROXIES = {
'http': 'http://10.10.1.10:3128',
'https': 'http://10.10.1.10:1080',
}
```
---
## INTERNAL_IPS
Default: `('127.0.0.1', '::1')`
A list of IP addresses recognized as internal to the system, used to control the display of debugging output. For
example, the debugging toolbar will be viewable only when a client is accessing NetBox from one of the listed IP
addresses (and [`DEBUG`](#debug) is true).
---
## LOGGING
By default, all messages of INFO severity or higher will be logged to the console. Additionally, if [`DEBUG`](#debug) is False and email access has been configured, ERROR and CRITICAL messages will be emailed to the users defined in [`ADMINS`](#admins).
The Django framework on which NetBox runs allows for the customization of logging format and destination. Please consult the [Django logging documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/logging/) for more information on configuring this setting. Below is an example which will write all INFO and higher messages to a local file:
```python
LOGGING = {
'version': 1,
'disable_existing_loggers': False,
'handlers': {
'file': {
'level': 'INFO',
'class': 'logging.FileHandler',
'filename': '/var/log/netbox.log',
},
},
'loggers': {
'django': {
'handlers': ['file'],
'level': 'INFO',
},
},
}
```
### Available Loggers
* `netbox.<app>.<model>` - Generic form for model-specific log messages
* `netbox.auth.*` - Authentication events
* `netbox.api.views.*` - Views which handle business logic for the REST API
* `netbox.views.*` - Views which handle business logic for the web UI
---
## LOGIN_PERSISTENCE
Default: False
If true, the lifetime of a user's authentication session will be automatically reset upon each valid request. For example, if [`LOGIN_TIMEOUT`](#login_timeout) is configured to 14 days (the default), and a user whose session is due to expire in five days makes a NetBox request (with a valid session cookie), the session's lifetime will be reset to 14 days.
Note that enabling this setting causes NetBox to update a user's session in the database (or file, as configured per [`SESSION_FILE_PATH`](#session_file_path)) with each request, which may introduce significant overhead in very active environments. It also permits an active user to remain authenticated to NetBox indefinitely.
---
## LOGIN_REQUIRED
Default: False
Setting this to True will permit only authenticated users to access any part of NetBox. By default, anonymous users are permitted to access most data in NetBox but not make any changes.
---
## LOGIN_TIMEOUT
Default: 1209600 seconds (14 days)
The lifetime (in seconds) of the authentication cookie issued to a NetBox user upon login.
---
## MAINTENANCE_MODE
Default: False
Setting this to True will display a "maintenance mode" banner at the top of every page. Additionally, NetBox will no longer update a user's "last active" time upon login. This is to allow new logins when the database is in a read-only state. Recording of login times will resume when maintenance mode is disabled.
This specifies the URL to use when presenting a map of a physical location by street address or GPS coordinates. The URL must accept either a free-form street address or a comma-separated pair of numeric coordinates appended to it.
---
## MAX_PAGE_SIZE
Default: 1000
A web user or API consumer can request an arbitrary number of objects by appending the "limit" parameter to the URL (e.g. `?limit=1000`). This parameter defines the maximum acceptable limit. Setting this to `0` or `None` will allow a client to retrieve _all_ matching objects at once with no limit by specifying `?limit=0`.
---
## MEDIA_ROOT
Default: $INSTALL_ROOT/netbox/media/
The file path to the location where media files (such as image attachments) are stored. By default, this is the `netbox/media/` directory within the base NetBox installation path.
---
## METRICS_ENABLED
Default: False
Toggle the availability Prometheus-compatible metrics at `/metrics`. See the [Prometheus Metrics](../additional-features/prometheus-metrics.md) documentation for more details.
---
## NAPALM_USERNAME
## NAPALM_PASSWORD
NetBox will use these credentials when authenticating to remote devices via the supported [NAPALM integration](../additional-features/napalm.md), if installed. Both parameters are optional.
!!! note
If SSH public key authentication has been set up on the remote device(s) for the system account under which NetBox runs, these parameters are not needed.
---
## NAPALM_ARGS
A dictionary of optional arguments to pass to NAPALM when instantiating a network driver. See the NAPALM documentation for a [complete list of optional arguments](https://napalm.readthedocs.io/en/latest/support/#optional-arguments). An example:
```python
NAPALM_ARGS = {
'api_key': '472071a93b60a1bd1fafb401d9f8ef41',
'port': 2222,
}
```
Some platforms (e.g. Cisco IOS) require an argument named `secret` to be passed in addition to the normal password. If desired, you can use the configured `NAPALM_PASSWORD` as the value for this argument:
```python
NAPALM_USERNAME = 'username'
NAPALM_PASSWORD = 'MySecretPassword'
NAPALM_ARGS = {
'secret': NAPALM_PASSWORD,
# Include any additional args here
}
```
---
## NAPALM_TIMEOUT
Default: 30 seconds
The amount of time (in seconds) to wait for NAPALM to connect to a device.
---
## PAGINATE_COUNT
Default: 50
The default maximum number of objects to display per page within each list of objects.
---
## PLUGINS
Default: Empty
A list of installed [NetBox plugins](../../plugins/) to enable. Plugins will not take effect unless they are listed here.
!!! warning
Plugins extend NetBox by allowing external code to run with the same access and privileges as NetBox itself. Only install plugins from trusted sources. The NetBox maintainers make absolutely no guarantees about the integrity or security of your installation with plugins enabled.
---
## PLUGINS_CONFIG
Default: Empty
This parameter holds configuration settings for individual NetBox plugins. It is defined as a dictionary, with each key using the name of an installed plugin. The specific parameters supported are unique to each plugin: Reference the plugin's documentation to determine the supported parameters. An example configuration is shown below:
```python
PLUGINS_CONFIG = {
'plugin1': {
'foo': 123,
'bar': True
},
'plugin2': {
'foo': 456,
},
}
```
Note that a plugin must be listed in `PLUGINS` for its configuration to take effect.
---
## PREFER_IPV4
Default: False
When determining the primary IP address for a device, IPv6 is preferred over IPv4 by default. Set this to True to prefer IPv4 instead.
---
## RACK_ELEVATION_DEFAULT_UNIT_HEIGHT
Default: 22
Default height (in pixels) of a unit within a rack elevation. For best results, this should be approximately one tenth of `RACK_ELEVATION_DEFAULT_UNIT_WIDTH`.
---
## RACK_ELEVATION_DEFAULT_UNIT_WIDTH
Default: 220
Default width (in pixels) of a unit within a rack elevation.
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_AUTO_CREATE_USER
Default: `False`
If true, NetBox will automatically create local accounts for users authenticated via a remote service. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED`.)
This is the Python path to the custom [Django authentication backend](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/auth/customizing/) to use for external user authentication. NetBox provides two built-in backends (listed below), though custom authentication backends may also be provided by other packages or plugins.
* `netbox.authentication.RemoteUserBackend`
* `netbox.authentication.LDAPBackend`
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_DEFAULT_GROUPS
Default: `[]` (Empty list)
The list of groups to assign a new user account when created using remote authentication. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED`.)
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_DEFAULT_PERMISSIONS
Default: `{}` (Empty dictionary)
A mapping of permissions to assign a new user account when created using remote authentication. Each key in the dictionary should be set to a dictionary of the attributes to be applied to the permission, or `None` to allow all objects. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED`.)
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED
Default: `False`
NetBox can be configured to support remote user authentication by inferring user authentication from an HTTP header set by the HTTP reverse proxy (e.g. nginx or Apache). Set this to `True` to enable this functionality. (Local authentication will still take effect as a fallback.)
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_HEADER
Default: `'HTTP_REMOTE_USER'`
When remote user authentication is in use, this is the name of the HTTP header which informs NetBox of the currently authenticated user. For example, to use the request header `X-Remote-User` it needs to be set to `HTTP_X_REMOTE_USER`. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED`.)
---
## RELEASE_CHECK_URL
Default: None (disabled)
This parameter defines the URL of the repository that will be checked for new NetBox releases. When a new release is detected, a message will be displayed to administrative users on the home page. This can be set to the official repository (`'https://api.github.com/repos/netbox-community/netbox/releases'`) or a custom fork. Set this to `None` to disable automatic update checks.
!!! note
The URL provided **must** be compatible with the [GitHub REST API](https://docs.github.com/en/rest).
---
## REPORTS_ROOT
Default: `$INSTALL_ROOT/netbox/reports/`
The file path to the location where [custom reports](../customization/reports.md) will be kept. By default, this is the `netbox/reports/` directory within the base NetBox installation path.
---
## RQ_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT
Default: `300`
The maximum execution time of a background task (such as running a custom script), in seconds.
---
## SCRIPTS_ROOT
Default: `$INSTALL_ROOT/netbox/scripts/`
The file path to the location where [custom scripts](../customization/custom-scripts.md) will be kept. By default, this is the `netbox/scripts/` directory within the base NetBox installation path.
---
## SESSION_COOKIE_NAME
Default: `sessionid`
The name used for the session cookie. See the [Django documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/settings/#session-cookie-name) for more detail.
---
## SESSION_FILE_PATH
Default: None
HTTP session data is used to track authenticated users when they access NetBox. By default, NetBox stores session data in its PostgreSQL database. However, this inhibits authentication to a standby instance of NetBox without write access to the database. Alternatively, a local file path may be specified here and NetBox will store session data as files instead of using the database. Note that the NetBox system user must have read and write permissions to this path.
---
## STORAGE_BACKEND
Default: None (local storage)
The backend storage engine for handling uploaded files (e.g. image attachments). NetBox supports integration with the [`django-storages`](https://django-storages.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) package, which provides backends for several popular file storage services. If not configured, local filesystem storage will be used.
The configuration parameters for the specified storage backend are defined under the `STORAGE_CONFIG` setting.
---
## STORAGE_CONFIG
Default: Empty
A dictionary of configuration parameters for the storage backend configured as `STORAGE_BACKEND`. The specific parameters to be used here are specific to each backend; see the [`django-storages` documentation](https://django-storages.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) for more detail.
If `STORAGE_BACKEND` is not defined, this setting will be ignored.
---
## TIME_ZONE
Default: UTC
The time zone NetBox will use when dealing with dates and times. It is recommended to use UTC time unless you have a specific need to use a local time zone. Please see the [list of available time zones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones).
---
## Date and Time Formatting
You may define custom formatting for date and times. For detailed instructions on writing format strings, please see [the Django documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/templates/builtins/#date). Default formats are listed below.
```python
DATE_FORMAT = 'N j, Y' # June 26, 2016
SHORT_DATE_FORMAT = 'Y-m-d' # 2016-06-26
TIME_FORMAT = 'g:i a' # 1:23 p.m.
SHORT_TIME_FORMAT = 'H:i:s' # 13:23:00
DATETIME_FORMAT = 'N j, Y g:i a' # June 26, 2016 1:23 p.m.
A list of installed [NetBox plugins](../../plugins/) to enable. Plugins will not take effect unless they are listed here.
!!! warning
Plugins extend NetBox by allowing external code to run with the same access and privileges as NetBox itself. Only install plugins from trusted sources. The NetBox maintainers make absolutely no guarantees about the integrity or security of your installation with plugins enabled.
---
## PLUGINS_CONFIG
Default: Empty
This parameter holds configuration settings for individual NetBox plugins. It is defined as a dictionary, with each key using the name of an installed plugin. The specific parameters supported are unique to each plugin: Reference the plugin's documentation to determine the supported parameters. An example configuration is shown below:
```python
PLUGINS_CONFIG={
'plugin1':{
'foo':123,
'bar':True
},
'plugin2':{
'foo':456,
},
}
```
Note that a plugin must be listed in `PLUGINS` for its configuration to take effect.
The configuration parameters listed here control remote authentication for NetBox. Note that `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED` must be true in order for these settings to take effect.
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_AUTO_CREATE_USER
Default: `False`
If true, NetBox will automatically create local accounts for users authenticated via a remote service. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED`.)
This is the Python path to the custom [Django authentication backend](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/auth/customizing/) to use for external user authentication. NetBox provides two built-in backends (listed below), though custom authentication backends may also be provided by other packages or plugins.
*`netbox.authentication.RemoteUserBackend`
*`netbox.authentication.LDAPBackend`
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_DEFAULT_GROUPS
Default: `[]` (Empty list)
The list of groups to assign a new user account when created using remote authentication. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED`.)
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_DEFAULT_PERMISSIONS
Default: `{}` (Empty dictionary)
A mapping of permissions to assign a new user account when created using remote authentication. Each key in the dictionary should be set to a dictionary of the attributes to be applied to the permission, or `None` to allow all objects. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED` as True and `REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_SYNC_ENABLED` as False.)
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED
Default: `False`
NetBox can be configured to support remote user authentication by inferring user authentication from an HTTP header set by the HTTP reverse proxy (e.g. nginx or Apache). Set this to `True` to enable this functionality. (Local authentication will still take effect as a fallback.) (`REMOTE_AUTH_DEFAULT_GROUPS` will not function if `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED` is disabled)
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_HEADER
Default: `'HTTP_REMOTE_USER_GROUP'`
When remote user authentication is in use, this is the name of the HTTP header which informs NetBox of the currently authenticated user. For example, to use the request header `X-Remote-User-Groups` it needs to be set to `HTTP_X_REMOTE_USER_GROUPS`. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED` and `REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_SYNC_ENABLED` )
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_SEPARATOR
Default: `|` (Pipe)
The Seperator upon which `REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_HEADER` gets split into individual Groups. This needs to be coordinated with your authentication Proxy. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED` and `REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_SYNC_ENABLED` )
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_SYNC_ENABLED
Default: `False`
NetBox can be configured to sync remote user groups by inferring user authentication from an HTTP header set by the HTTP reverse proxy (e.g. nginx or Apache). Set this to `True` to enable this functionality. (Local authentication will still take effect as a fallback.) (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED`.)
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_HEADER
Default: `'HTTP_REMOTE_USER'`
When remote user authentication is in use, this is the name of the HTTP header which informs NetBox of the currently authenticated user. For example, to use the request header `X-Remote-User` it needs to be set to `HTTP_X_REMOTE_USER`. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED`.)
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_SUPERUSER_GROUPS
Default: `[]` (Empty list)
The list of groups that promote an remote User to Superuser on Login. If group isn't present on next Login, the Role gets revoked. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED` and `REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_SYNC_ENABLED` )
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_SUPERUSERS
Default: `[]` (Empty list)
The list of users that get promoted to Superuser on Login. If user isn't present in list on next Login, the Role gets revoked. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED` and `REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_SYNC_ENABLED` )
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_STAFF_GROUPS
Default: `[]` (Empty list)
The list of groups that promote an remote User to Staff on Login. If group isn't present on next Login, the Role gets revoked. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED` and `REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_SYNC_ENABLED` )
---
## REMOTE_AUTH_STAFF_USERS
Default: `[]` (Empty list)
The list of users that get promoted to Staff on Login. If user isn't present in list on next Login, the Role gets revoked. (Requires `REMOTE_AUTH_ENABLED` and `REMOTE_AUTH_GROUP_SYNC_ENABLED` )
NetBox requires access to a PostgreSQL 9.6 or later database service to store data. This service can run locally on the NetBox server or on a remote system. The following parameters must be defined within the `DATABASE` dictionary:
NetBox requires access to a PostgreSQL 10 or later database service to store data. This service can run locally on the NetBox server or on a remote system. The following parameters must be defined within the `DATABASE` dictionary:
A list of permitted URL schemes referenced when rendering links within NetBox. Note that only the schemes specified in this list will be accepted: If adding your own, be sure to replicate all the default values as well (excluding those schemes which are not desirable).
---
## AUTH_PASSWORD_VALIDATORS
This parameter acts as a pass-through for configuring Django's built-in password validators for local user accounts. If configured, these will be applied whenever a user's password is updated to ensure that it meets minimum criteria such as length or complexity. An example is provided below. For more detail on the available options, please see [the Django documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/auth/passwords/#password-validation).
If True, cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) requests will be accepted from all origins. If False, a whitelist will be used (see below).
---
## CORS_ORIGIN_WHITELIST
## CORS_ORIGIN_REGEX_WHITELIST
These settings specify a list of origins that are authorized to make cross-site API requests. Use
`CORS_ORIGIN_WHITELIST` to define a list of exact hostnames, or `CORS_ORIGIN_REGEX_WHITELIST` to define a set of regular
expressions. (These settings have no effect if `CORS_ORIGIN_ALLOW_ALL` is True.) For example:
```python
CORS_ORIGIN_WHITELIST=[
'https://example.com',
]
```
---
## CSRF_COOKIE_NAME
Default: `csrftoken`
The name of the cookie to use for the cross-site request forgery (CSRF) authentication token. See the [Django documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/settings/#csrf-cookie-name) for more detail.
---
---
## CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS
Default: `[]`
Defines a list of trusted origins for unsafe (e.g. `POST`) requests. This is a pass-through to Django's [`CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS`](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.0/ref/settings/#std:setting-CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS) setting. Note that each host listed must specify a scheme (e.g. `http://` or `https://).
```python
CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = (
'http://netbox.local',
'https://netbox.local',
)
```
---
## EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS
Default: Empty list
A list of NetBox models to exempt from the enforcement of view permissions. Models listed here will be viewable by all users, both authenticated and anonymous.
List models in the form `<app>.<model>`. For example:
```python
EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS = [
'dcim.site',
'dcim.region',
'ipam.prefix',
]
```
To exempt _all_ models from view permission enforcement, set the following. (Note that `EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS` must be an iterable.)
```python
EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS = ['*']
```
!!! note
Using a wildcard will not affect certain potentially sensitive models, such as user permissions. If there is a need to exempt these models, they must be specified individually.
---
## LOGIN_PERSISTENCE
Default: False
If true, the lifetime of a user's authentication session will be automatically reset upon each valid request. For example, if [`LOGIN_TIMEOUT`](#login_timeout) is configured to 14 days (the default), and a user whose session is due to expire in five days makes a NetBox request (with a valid session cookie), the session's lifetime will be reset to 14 days.
Note that enabling this setting causes NetBox to update a user's session in the database (or file, as configured per [`SESSION_FILE_PATH`](#session_file_path)) with each request, which may introduce significant overhead in very active environments. It also permits an active user to remain authenticated to NetBox indefinitely.
---
## LOGIN_REQUIRED
Default: False
Setting this to True will permit only authenticated users to access any part of NetBox. By default, anonymous users are permitted to access most data in NetBox but not make any changes.
---
## LOGIN_TIMEOUT
Default: 1209600 seconds (14 days)
The lifetime (in seconds) of the authentication cookie issued to a NetBox user upon login.
---
## SESSION_COOKIE_NAME
Default: `sessionid`
The name used for the session cookie. See the [Django documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/settings/#session-cookie-name) for more detail.
---
## SESSION_FILE_PATH
Default: None
HTTP session data is used to track authenticated users when they access NetBox. By default, NetBox stores session data in its PostgreSQL database. However, this inhibits authentication to a standby instance of NetBox without write access to the database. Alternatively, a local file path may be specified here and NetBox will store session data as files instead of using the database. Note that the NetBox system user must have read and write permissions to this path.
The base URL path to use when accessing NetBox. Do not include the scheme or domain name. For example, if installed at https://example.com/netbox/, set:
```python
BASE_PATH='netbox/'
```
---
## DOCS_ROOT
Default: `$INSTALL_ROOT/docs/`
The filesystem path to NetBox's documentation. This is used when presenting context-sensitive documentation in the web UI. By default, this will be the `docs/` directory within the root NetBox installation path. (Set this to `None` to disable the embedded documentation.)
---
## EMAIL
In order to send email, NetBox needs an email server configured. The following items can be defined within the `EMAIL` configuration parameter:
*`SERVER` - Hostname or IP address of the email server (use `localhost` if running locally)
*`PORT` - TCP port to use for the connection (default: `25`)
*`USERNAME` - Username with which to authenticate
*`PASSSWORD` - Password with which to authenticate
*`USE_SSL` - Use SSL when connecting to the server (default: `False`)
*`USE_TLS` - Use TLS when connecting to the server (default: `False`)
*`SSL_CERTFILE` - Path to the PEM-formatted SSL certificate file (optional)
*`SSL_KEYFILE` - Path to the PEM-formatted SSL private key file (optional)
*`TIMEOUT` - Amount of time to wait for a connection, in seconds (default: `10`)
*`FROM_EMAIL` - Sender address for emails sent by NetBox
!!! note
The `USE_SSL` and `USE_TLS` parameters are mutually exclusive.
Email is sent from NetBox only for critical events or if configured for [logging](#logging). If you would like to test the email server configuration, Django provides a convenient [send_mail()](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/email/#send-mail) function accessible within the NetBox shell:
```no-highlight
# python ./manage.py nbshell
>>> from django.core.mail import send_mail
>>> send_mail(
'Test Email Subject',
'Test Email Body',
'noreply-netbox@example.com',
['users@example.com'],
fail_silently=False
)
```
---
## HTTP_PROXIES
Default: None
A dictionary of HTTP proxies to use for outbound requests originating from NetBox (e.g. when sending webhook requests). Proxies should be specified by schema (HTTP and HTTPS) as per the [Python requests library documentation](https://2.python-requests.org/en/master/user/advanced/). For example:
```python
HTTP_PROXIES = {
'http': 'http://10.10.1.10:3128',
'https': 'http://10.10.1.10:1080',
}
```
---
## INTERNAL_IPS
Default: `('127.0.0.1', '::1')`
A list of IP addresses recognized as internal to the system, used to control the display of debugging output. For
example, the debugging toolbar will be viewable only when a client is accessing NetBox from one of the listed IP
addresses (and [`DEBUG`](#debug) is true).
---
## JINJA2_FILTERS
Default: `{}`
A dictionary of custom jinja2 filters with the key being the filter name and the value being a callable. For more information see the [Jinja2 documentation](https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/en/3.1.x/api/#custom-filters). For example:
```python
def uppercase(x):
return str(x).upper()
JINJA2_FILTERS = {
'uppercase': uppercase,
}
```
---
## LOGGING
By default, all messages of INFO severity or higher will be logged to the console. Additionally, if [`DEBUG`](#debug) is False and email access has been configured, ERROR and CRITICAL messages will be emailed to the users defined in [`ADMINS`](#admins).
The Django framework on which NetBox runs allows for the customization of logging format and destination. Please consult the [Django logging documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/logging/) for more information on configuring this setting. Below is an example which will write all INFO and higher messages to a local file:
```python
LOGGING = {
'version': 1,
'disable_existing_loggers': False,
'handlers': {
'file': {
'level': 'INFO',
'class': 'logging.FileHandler',
'filename': '/var/log/netbox.log',
},
},
'loggers': {
'django': {
'handlers': ['file'],
'level': 'INFO',
},
},
}
```
### Available Loggers
* `netbox.<app>.<model>` - Generic form for model-specific log messages
* `netbox.auth.*` - Authentication events
* `netbox.api.views.*` - Views which handle business logic for the REST API
* `netbox.views.*` - Views which handle business logic for the web UI
---
## MEDIA_ROOT
Default: $INSTALL_ROOT/netbox/media/
The file path to the location where media files (such as image attachments) are stored. By default, this is the `netbox/media/` directory within the base NetBox installation path.
---
## REPORTS_ROOT
Default: `$INSTALL_ROOT/netbox/reports/`
The file path to the location where [custom reports](../customization/reports.md) will be kept. By default, this is the `netbox/reports/` directory within the base NetBox installation path.
---
## SCRIPTS_ROOT
Default: `$INSTALL_ROOT/netbox/scripts/`
The file path to the location where [custom scripts](../customization/custom-scripts.md) will be kept. By default, this is the `netbox/scripts/` directory within the base NetBox installation path.
---
## STORAGE_BACKEND
Default: None (local storage)
The backend storage engine for handling uploaded files (e.g. image attachments). NetBox supports integration with the [`django-storages`](https://django-storages.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) package, which provides backends for several popular file storage services. If not configured, local filesystem storage will be used.
The configuration parameters for the specified storage backend are defined under the `STORAGE_CONFIG` setting.
---
## STORAGE_CONFIG
Default: Empty
A dictionary of configuration parameters for the storage backend configured as `STORAGE_BACKEND`. The specific parameters to be used here are specific to each backend; see the [`django-storages` documentation](https://django-storages.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) for more detail.
If `STORAGE_BACKEND` is not defined, this setting will be ignored.
Each device type is assigned a number of component templates which define the physical components within a device. These are:
* Console ports
* Console server ports
* Power ports
* Power outlets
* Network interfaces
* Front ports
* Rear ports
* Device bays (which house child devices)
Whenever a new device is created, its components are automatically created per the templates assigned to its device type. For example, a Juniper EX4300-48T device type might have the following component templates defined:
* One template for a console port ("Console")
* Two templates for power ports ("PSU0" and "PSU1")
* 48 templates for 1GE interfaces ("ge-0/0/0" through "ge-0/0/47")
* Four templates for 10GE interfaces ("xe-0/2/0" through "xe-0/2/3")
Once component templates have been created, every new device that you create as an instance of this type will automatically be assigned each of the components listed above.
!!! note
Assignment of components from templates occurs only at the time of device creation. If you modify the templates of a device type, it will not affect devices which have already been created. However, you always have the option of adding, modifying, or deleting components on existing devices.
@@ -8,25 +8,53 @@ Within the database, custom fields are stored as JSON data directly alongside ea
## Creating Custom Fields
Custom fields may be created by navigating to Customization > Custom Fields. NetBox supports six types of custom field:
Custom fields may be created by navigating to Customization > Custom Fields. NetBox supports many types of custom field:
* Text: Free-form text (up to 255 characters)
* Text: Free-form text (intended for single-line use)
* Long text: Free-form of any length; supports Markdown rendering
* Integer: A whole number (positive or negative)
* Boolean: True or false
* Date: A date in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD)
* URL: This will be presented as a link in the web UI
* JSON: Arbitrary data stored in JSON format
* Selection: A selection of one of several pre-defined custom choices
* Multiple selection: A selection field which supports the assignment of multiple values
* Object: A single NetBox object of the type defined by `object_type`
* Multiple object: One or more NetBox objects of the type defined by `object_type`
Each custom field must have a name; this should be a simple database-friendly string, e.g. `tps_report`. You may also assign a corresponding human-friendly label (e.g. "TPS report"); the label will be displayed on web forms. A weight is also required: Higher-weight fields will be ordered lower within a form. (The default weight is 100.) If a description is provided, it will appear beneath the field in a form.
Each custom field must have a name. This should be a simple database-friendly string (e.g. `tps_report`) and may contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores. You may also assign a corresponding human-friendly label (e.g. "TPS report"); the label will be displayed on web forms. A weight is also required: Higher-weight fields will be ordered lower within a form. (The default weight is 100.) If a description is provided, it will appear beneath the field in a form.
Marking a field as required will force the user to provide a value for the field when creating a new object or when saving an existing object. A default value for the field may also be provided. Use "true" or "false" for boolean fields, or the exact value of a choice for selection fields.
The filter logic controls how values are matched when filtering objects by the custom field. Loose filtering (the default) matches on a partial value, whereas exact matching requires a complete match of the given string to a field's value. For example, exact filtering with the string "red" will only match the exact value "red", whereas loose filtering will match on the values "red", "red-orange", or "bored". Setting the filter logic to "disabled" disables filtering by the field entirely.
A custom field must be assigned to one or more object types, or models, in NetBox. Once created, custom fields will automatically appear as part of these models in the web UI and REST API. Note that not all models support custom fields.
### Custom Field Validation
### Filtering
The filter logic controls how values are matched when filtering objects by the custom field. Loose filtering (the default) matches on a partial value, whereas exact matching requires a complete match of the given string to a field's value. For example, exact filtering with the string "red" will only match the exact value "red", whereas loose filtering will match on the values "red", "red-orange", or "bored". Setting the filter logic to "disabled" disables filtering by the field entirely.
### Grouping
!!! note
This feature was introduced in NetBox v3.3.
Related custom fields can be grouped together within the UI by assigning each the same group name. When at least one custom field for an object type has a group defined, it will appear under the group heading within the custom fields panel under the object view. All custom fields with the same group name will appear under that heading. (Note that the group names must match exactly, or each will appear as a separate heading.)
This parameter has no effect on the API representation of custom field data.
### Visibility
!!! note
This feature was introduced in NetBox v3.3.
When creating a custom field, there are three options for UI visibility. These control how and whether the custom field is displayed within the NetBox UI.
* **Read/write** (default): The custom field is included when viewing and editing objects.
* **Read-only**: The custom field is displayed when viewing an object, but it cannot be edited via the UI. (It will appear in the form as a read-only field.)
* **Hidden**: The custom field will never be displayed within the UI. This option is recommended for fields which are not intended for use by human users.
Note that this setting has no impact on the REST or GraphQL APIs: Custom field data will always be available via either API.
### Validation
NetBox supports limited custom validation for custom field values. Following are the types of validation enforced for each field type:
@@ -40,6 +68,10 @@ Each custom selection field must have at least two choices. These are specified
If a default value is specified for a selection field, it must exactly match one of the provided choices. The value of a multiple selection field will always return a list, even if only one value is selected.
### Custom Object Fields
An object or multi-object custom field can be used to refer to a particular NetBox object or objects as the "value" for a custom field. These custom fields must define an `object_type`, which determines the type of object to which custom field instances point.
## Custom Fields in Templates
Several features within NetBox, such as export templates and webhooks, utilize Jinja2 templating. For convenience, objects which support custom field assignment expose custom field data through the `cf` property. This is a bit cleaner than accessing custom field data through the actual field (`custom_field_data`).
Custom links allow users to display arbitrary hyperlinks to external content within NetBox object views. These are helpful for cross-referencing related records in systems outside NetBox. For example, you might create a custom link on the device view which links to the current device in a network monitoring system.
Custom links allow users to display arbitrary hyperlinks to external content within NetBox object views. These are helpful for cross-referencing related records in systems outside NetBox. For example, you might create a custom link on the device view which links to the current device in a Network Monitoring System (NMS).
Custom links are created by navigating to Customization > Custom Links. Each link is associated with a particular NetBox object type (site, device, prefix, etc.) and will be displayed on relevant views. Each link is assigned text and a URL, both of which support Jinja2 templating. The text and URL are rendered with the context variable `obj` representing the current object.
Custom links are created by navigating to Customization > Custom Links. Each link is associated with a particular NetBox object type (site, device, prefix, etc.) and will be displayed on relevant views. Each link has display text and a URL, and data from the NetBox item being viewed can be included in the link using [Jinja2 template code](https://jinja2docs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) through the variable `obj`, and custom fields through `obj.cf`.
For example, you might define a link like this:
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ When viewing a device named Router4, this link would render as:
Custom links appear as buttons in the top right corner of the page. Numeric weighting can be used to influence the ordering of links.
Custom links appear as buttons in the top right corner of the page. Numeric weighting can be used to influence the ordering of links, and each link can be enabled or disabled individually.
!!! warning
Custom links rely on user-created code to generate arbitrary HTML output, which may be dangerous. Only grant permission to create or modify custom links to trusted users.
@@ -24,13 +24,18 @@ Custom links appear as buttons in the top right corner of the page. Numeric weig
The following context data is available within the template when rendering a custom link's text or URL.
| Variable | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `obj` | The NetBox object being displayed |
| `debug` | A boolean indicating whether debugging is enabled |
| `request` | The current WSGI request |
| `user` | The current user (if authenticated) |
| `perms` | The [permissions](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/auth/default/#permissions) assigned to the user |
| `obj` | Same as `object`; maintained for backward compatability until NetBox v3.5 |
| `debug` | A boolean indicating whether debugging is enabled |
| `request` | The current WSGI request |
| `user` | The current user (if authenticated) |
| `perms` | The [permissions](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/auth/default/#permissions) assigned to the user |
While most of the context variables listed above will have consistent attributes, the object will be an instance of the specific object being viewed when the link is rendered. Different models have different fields and properties, so you may need to some research to determine the attributes available for use within your template for a specific object type.
Checking the REST API representation of an object is generally a convenient way to determine what attributes are available. You can also reference the NetBox source code directly for a comprehensive list.
## Conditional Rendering
@@ -55,3 +60,7 @@ The link will only appear when viewing a device with a manufacturer name of "Cis
## Link Groups
Group names can be specified to organize links into groups. Links with the same group name will render as a dropdown menu beneath a single button bearing the name of the group.
## Table Columns
Custom links can also be included in object tables by selecting the desired links from the table configuration form. When displayed, each link will render as a hyperlink for its corresponding object. When exported (e.g. as CSV data), each link render only its URL.
@@ -45,6 +45,20 @@ Defining script variables is optional: You may create a script with only a `run(
Any output generated by the script during its execution will be displayed under the "output" tab in the UI.
By default, scripts within a module are ordered alphabetically in the scripts list page. To return scripts in a specific order, you can define the `script_order` variable at the end of your module. The `script_order` variable is a tuple which contains each Script class in the desired order. Any scripts that are omitted from this list will be listed last.
```python
fromextras.scriptsimportScript
classMyCustomScript(Script):
...
classAnotherCustomScript(Script):
...
script_order=(MyCustomScript,AnotherCustomScript)
```
## Module Attributes
### `name`
@@ -63,6 +77,10 @@ This is the human-friendly names of your script. If omitted, the class name will
A human-friendly description of what your script does.
### `field_order`
By default, script variables will be ordered in the form as they are defined in the script. `field_order` may be defined as an iterable of field names to determine the order in which variables are rendered. Any fields not included in this iterable be listed last.
### `commit_default`
The checkbox to commit database changes when executing a script is checked by default. Set `commit_default` to False under the script's Meta class to leave this option unchecked by default.
@@ -71,6 +89,12 @@ The checkbox to commit database changes when executing a script is checked by de
commit_default=False
```
### `job_timeout`
Set the maximum allowed runtime for the script. If not set, `RQ_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT` will be used.
!!! info "This feature was introduced in v3.2.1"
## Accessing Request Data
Details of the current HTTP request (the one being made to execute the script) are available as the instance attribute `self.request`. This can be used to infer, for example, the user executing the script and the client IP address:
@@ -226,7 +250,7 @@ An IPv4 or IPv6 network with a mask. Returns a `netaddr.IPNetwork` object. Two a
!!! note
To run a custom script, a user must be assigned the `extras.run_script` permission. This is achieved by assigning the user (or group) a permission on the Script object and specifying the `run` action in the admin UI as shown below.
The required ``<module>.<script>`` argument is the script to run where ``<module>`` is the name of the python file in the ``scripts`` directory without the ``.py`` extension and ``<script>`` is the name of the script class in the ``<module>`` to run.
The optional ``--data "<data>"`` argument is the data to send to the script
The optional ``--loglevel`` argument is the desired logging level to output to the console.
The optional ``--commit`` argument will commit any changes in the script to the database.
## Example
Below is an example script that creates new objects for a planned site. The user is prompted for three variables:
NetBox validates every object prior to it being written to the database to ensure data integrity. This validation includes things like checking for proper formatting and that references to related objects are valid. However, you may wish to supplement this validation with some rules of your own. For example, perhaps you require that every site's name conforms to a specific pattern. This can be done using NetBox's `CustomValidator` class.
NetBox validates every object prior to it being written to the database to ensure data integrity. This validation includes things like checking for proper formatting and that references to related objects are valid. However, you may wish to supplement this validation with some rules of your own. For example, perhaps you require that every site's name conforms to a specific pattern. This can be done using custom validation rules.
## CustomValidator
## CustomValidation Rules
### Validation Rules
Custom validation rules are expressed as a mapping of model attributes to a set of rules to which that attribute must conform. For example:
A custom validator can be instantiated by passing a mapping of attributes to a set of rules to which that attribute must conform. For example:
```python
fromextras.validatorsimportCustomValidator
CustomValidator({
'name':{
'min_length':5,
'max_length':30,
}
})
```json
{
"name":{
"min_length":5,
"max_length":30
}
}
```
This defines a custom validator which checks that the length of the `name` attribute for an object is at least five characters long, and no longer than 30 characters. This validation is executed _after_ NetBox has performed its own internal validation.
@@ -38,12 +34,13 @@ The `min` and `max` types should be defined for numeric values, whereas `min_len
### Custom Validation Logic
There may be instances where the provided validation types are insufficient. The`CustomValidator` class can be extended to enforce arbitrary validation logic by overriding its `validate()` method, and calling `fail()` when an unsatisfactory condition is detected.
There may be instances where the provided validation types are insufficient. NetBox provides a`CustomValidator` class which can be extended to enforce arbitrary validation logic by overriding its `validate()` method, and calling `fail()` when an unsatisfactory condition is detected.
self.fail("Active sites must have a description set!",field='status')
@@ -53,34 +50,69 @@ The `fail()` method may optionally specify a field with which to associate the s
## Assigning Custom Validators
Custom validators are associated with specific NetBox models under the [CUSTOM_VALIDATORS](../configuration/optional-settings.md#custom_validators) configuration parameter, as such:
Custom validators are associated with specific NetBox models under the [CUSTOM_VALIDATORS](../configuration/data-validation.md#custom_validators) configuration parameter. There are three manners by which custom validation rules can be defined:
1. Plain JSON mapping (no custom logic)
2. Dotted path to a custom validator class
3. Direct reference to a custom validator class
### Plain Data
For cases where custom logic is not needed, it is sufficient to pass validation rules as plain JSON-compatible objects. This approach typically affords the most portability for your configuration. For instance:
```python
CUSTOM_VALIDATORS={
"dcim.site":[
{
"name":{
"min_length":5,
"max_length":30,
}
}
],
"dcim.device":[
{
"platform":{
"required":True,
}
}
]
}
```
### Dotted Path
In instances where a custom validator class is needed, it can be referenced by its Python path (relative to NetBox's working directory):
```python
CUSTOM_VALIDATORS={
'dcim.site':(
Validator1,
Validator2,
Validator3
'my_validators.Validator1',
'my_validators.Validator2',
),
'dcim.device':(
'my_validators.Validator3',
)
}
```
### Direct Class Reference
This approach requires each class being instantiated to be imported directly within the Python configuration file.
@@ -36,9 +36,10 @@ The `as_attachment` attribute of an export template controls its behavior when r
A MIME type and file extension can optionally be defined for each export template. The default MIME type is `text/plain`.
## REST API Integration
When it is necessary to provide authentication credentials (such as when [`LOGIN_REQUIRED`](../configuration/optional-settings.md#login_required) has been enabled), it is recommended to render export templates via the REST API. This allows the client to specify an authentication token. To render an export template via the REST API, make a `GET` request to the model's list endpoint and append the `export` parameter specifying the export template name. For example:
When it is necessary to provide authentication credentials (such as when [`LOGIN_REQUIRED`](../configuration/security.md#login_required) has been enabled), it is recommended to render export templates via the REST API. This allows the client to specify an authentication token. To render an export template via the REST API, make a `GET` request to the model's list endpoint and append the `export` parameter specifying the export template name. For example:
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ A NetBox report is a mechanism for validating the integrity of data within NetBo
## Writing Reports
Reports must be saved as files in the [`REPORTS_ROOT`](../configuration/optional-settings.md#reports_root) path (which defaults to `netbox/reports/`). Each file created within this path is considered a separate module. Each module holds one or more reports (Python classes), each of which performs a certain function. The logic of each report is broken into discrete test methods, each of which applies a small portion of the logic comprising the overall test.
Reports must be saved as files in the [`REPORTS_ROOT`](../configuration/system.md#reports_root) path (which defaults to `netbox/reports/`). Each file created within this path is considered a separate module. Each module holds one or more reports (Python classes), each of which performs a certain function. The logic of each report is broken into discrete test methods, each of which applies a small portion of the logic comprising the overall test.
!!! warning
The reports path includes a file named `__init__.py`, which registers the path as a Python module. Do not delete this file.
@@ -85,6 +85,20 @@ As you can see, reports are completely customizable. Validation logic can be as
!!! warning
Reports should never alter data: If you find yourself using the `create()`, `save()`, `update()`, or `delete()` methods on objects within reports, stop and re-evaluate what you're trying to accomplish. Note that there are no safeguards against the accidental alteration or destruction of data.
## Report Attributes
### `description`
A human-friendly description of what your report does.
### `job_timeout`
Set the maximum allowed runtime for the report. If not set, `RQ_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT` will be used.
!!! info "This feature was introduced in v3.2.1"
## Logging
The following methods are available to log results within a report:
* log(message)
@@ -95,7 +109,21 @@ The following methods are available to log results within a report:
The recording of one or more failure messages will automatically flag a report as failed. It is advised to log a success for each object that is evaluated so that the results will reflect how many objects are being reported on. (The inclusion of a log message is optional for successes.) Messages recorded with `log()` will appear in a report's results but are not associated with a particular object or status. Log messages also support using markdown syntax and will be rendered on the report result page.
To perform additional tasks, such as sending an email or calling a webhook, after a report has been run, extend the `post_run()` method. The status of the report is available as `self.failed` and the results object is `self.result`.
To perform additional tasks, such as sending an email or calling a webhook, before or after a report is run, extend the `pre_run()` and/or `post_run()` methods, respectively. The status of a completed report is available as `self.failed` and the results object is `self.result`.
By default, reports within a module are ordered alphabetically in the reports list page. To return reports in a specific order, you can define the `report_order` variable at the end of your module. The `report_order` variable is a tuple which contains each Report class in the desired order. Any reports that are omitted from this list will be listed last.
Once you have created a report, it will appear in the reports list. Initially, reports will have no results associated with them. To generate results, run the report.
@@ -104,7 +132,7 @@ Once you have created a report, it will appear in the reports list. Initially, r
!!! note
To run a report, a user must be assigned the `extras.run_report` permission. This is achieved by assigning the user (or group) a permission on the Report object and specifying the `run` action in the admin UI as shown below.
Models within each app are stored in either `models.py` or within a submodule under the `models/` directory. When creating a model, be sure to subclass the [appropriate base model](models.md) from `netbox.models`. This will typically be PrimaryModel or OrganizationalModel. Remember to add the model class to the `__all__` listing for the module.
Models within each app are stored in either `models.py` or within a submodule under the `models/` directory. When creating a model, be sure to subclass the [appropriate base model](models.md) from `netbox.models`. This will typically be NetBoxModel or OrganizationalModel. Remember to add the model class to the `__all__` listing for the module.
Each model should define, at a minimum:
* A `Meta` class specifying a deterministic ordering (if ordered by fields other than the primary ID)
* A `__str__()` method returning a user-friendly string representation of the instance
* A `get_absolute_url()` method returning an instance's direct URL (using `reverse()`)
* A `Meta` class specifying a deterministic ordering (if ordered by fields other than the primary ID)
## 2. Define field choices
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ If the model has one or more fields with static choices, define those choices in
## 3. Generate database migrations
Once your model definition is complete, generate database migrations by running `manage.py -n $NAME --no-header`. Always specify a short unique name when generating migrations.
Once your model definition is complete, generate database migrations by running `manage.py makemigrations -n $NAME --no-header`. Always specify a short unique name when generating migrations.
!!! info
!!! info "Configuration Required"
Set `DEVELOPER = True` in your NetBox configuration to enable the creation of new migrations.
## 4. Add all standard views
@@ -37,25 +37,32 @@ Most models will need view classes created in `views.py` to serve the following
Add the relevant URL path for each view created in the previous step to `urls.py`.
## 6. Create the FilterSet
## 6. Add relevant forms
Depending on the type of model being added, you may need to define several types of form classes. These include:
* A base model form (for creating/editing individual objects)
* A bulk edit form
* A bulk import form (for CSV-based import)
* A filterset form (for filtering the object list view)
## 7. Create the FilterSet
Each model should have a corresponding FilterSet class defined. This is used to filter UI and API queries. Subclass the appropriate class from `netbox.filtersets` that matches the model's parent class.
Every model FilterSet should define a `q` filter to support general search queries.
## 7. Create the table
## 8. Create the table class
Create a table class for the model in `tables.py` by subclassing `utilities.tables.BaseTable`. Under the table's `Meta` class, be sure to list both the fields and default columns.
## 8. Create the object template
## 9. Create the object template
Create the HTML template for the object view. (The other views each typically employ a generic template.) This template should extend `generic/object.html`.
## 9. Add the model to the navigation menu
## 10. Add the model to the navigation menu
For NetBox releases prior to v3.0, add the relevant link(s) to the navigation menu template. For later releases, add the relevant items in `netbox/netbox/navigation_menu.py`.
Add the relevant navigation menu items in `netbox/netbox/navigation_menu.py`.
## 10. REST API components
## 11. REST API components
Create the following for each model:
@@ -64,13 +71,13 @@ Create the following for each model:
* API view in `api/views.py`
* Endpoint route in `api/urls.py`
## 11. GraphQL API components (v3.0+)
## 12. GraphQL API components
Create a Graphene object type for the model in `graphql/types.py` by subclassing the appropriate class from `netbox.graphql.types`.
Also extend the schema class defined in `graphql/schema.py` with the individual object and object list fields per the established convention.
## 12. Add tests
## 13. Add tests
Add tests for the following:
@@ -78,7 +85,7 @@ Add tests for the following:
* API views
* Filter sets
## 13. Documentation
## 14. Documentation
Create a new documentation page for the model in `docs/models/<app_label>/<model_name>.md`. Include this file under the "features" documentation where appropriate.
@@ -4,16 +4,16 @@ Below is a list of tasks to consider when adding a new field to a core model.
## 1. Generate and run database migrations
Django migrations are used to express changes to the database schema. In most cases, Django can generate these automatically, however very complex changes may require manual intervention. Always remember to specify a short but descriptive name when generating a new migration.
[Django migrations](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/migrations/) are used to express changes to the database schema. In most cases, Django can generate these automatically, however very complex changes may require manual intervention. Always remember to specify a short but descriptive name when generating a new migration.
```
./manage.py makemigrations <app> -n <name>
./manage.py migrate
```
Where possible, try to merge related changes into a single migration. For example, if three new fields are being added to different models within an app, these can be expressed in the same migration. You can merge a new migration with an existing one by combining their `operations` lists.
Where possible, try to merge related changes into a single migration. For example, if three new fields are being added to different models within an app, these can be expressed in a single migration. You can merge a newly generated migration with an existing one by combining their `operations` lists.
!!! note
!!! warning "Do not alter existing migrations"
Migrations can only be merged within a release. Once a new release has been published, its migrations cannot be altered (other than for the purpose of correcting a bug).
## 2. Add validation logic to `clean()`
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ If the new field introduces additional validation requirements (beyond what's in
class Foo(models.Model):
def clean(self):
super().clean()
# Custom validation goes here
@@ -34,15 +33,15 @@ class Foo(models.Model):
## 3. Update relevant querysets
If you're adding a relational field (e.g. `ForeignKey`) and intend to include the data when retreiving a list of objects, be sure to include the field using `prefetch_related()` as appropriate. This will optimize the view and avoid extraneous database queries.
If you're adding a relational field (e.g. `ForeignKey`) and intend to include the data when retrieving a list of objects, be sure to include the field using `prefetch_related()` as appropriate. This will optimize the view and avoid extraneous database queries.
## 4. Update API serializer
Extend the model's API serializer in `<app>.api.serializers` to include the new field. In most cases, it will not be necessary to also extend the nested serializer, which produces a minimal represenation of the model.
Extend the model's API serializer in `<app>.api.serializers` to include the new field. In most cases, it will not be necessary to also extend the nested serializer, which produces a minimal representation of the model.
## 5. Add field to forms
## 5. Add fields to forms
Extend any forms to include the new field as appropriate. Common forms include:
Extend any forms to include the new field(s) as appropriate. These are found under the `forms/` directory within each app. Common forms include:
* **Credit/edit** - Manipulating a single object
* **Bulk edit** - Performing a change on many objects at once
@@ -51,11 +50,11 @@ Extend any forms to include the new field as appropriate. Common forms include:
## 6. Extend object filter set
If the new field should be filterable, add it to the `FilterSet` for the model. If the field should be searchable, remember to reference it in the FilterSet's `search()` method.
If the new field should be filterable, add it to the `FilterSet` for the model. If the field should be searchable, remember to query it in the FilterSet's `search()` method.
## 7. Add column to object table
If the new field will be included in the object list view, add a column to the model's table. For simple fields, adding the field name to `Meta.fields` will be sufficient. More complex fields may require declaring a custom column.
If the new field will be included in the object list view, add a column to the model's table. For simple fields, adding the field name to `Meta.fields` will be sufficient. More complex fields may require declaring a custom column. Also add the field name to `default_columns` if the column should be present in the table by default.
Getting started with NetBox development is pretty straightforward, and should feel very familiar to anyone with Django development experience. There are a few things you'll need:
* A Linux system or environment
* A Linux system or compatible environment
* A PostgreSQL server, which can be installed locally [per the documentation](../installation/1-postgresql.md)
* A Redis server, which can also be [installed locally](../installation/2-redis.md)
*A supported version of Python
*Python 3.8 or later
### Fork the Repo
### 1. Fork the Repo
Assuming you'll be working on your own fork, your first step will be to fork the [official git repository](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox). (If you're a maintainer who's going to be working directly with the official repo, skip this step.) You can then clone your GitHub fork locally for development:
Assuming you'll be working on your own fork, your first step will be to fork the [official git repository](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox). (If you're a maintainer who's going to be working directly with the official repo, skip this step.) Click the "fork" button at top right (be sure that you'velogged into GitHub first).
The NetBox project utilizes three persistent git branches to track work:
* `master` - Serves as a snapshot of the current stable release
* `develop` - All development on the upcoming stable release occurs here
* `feature` - Tracks work on an upcoming major release
* `develop` - All development on the upcoming stable (patch) release occurs here
* `feature` - Tracks work on an upcoming minor release
Typically, you'll base pull requests off of the `develop` branch, or off of `feature` if you're working on a new major release. **Never** merge pull requests into the `master` branch, which receives merged only from the `develop` branch.
Typically, you'll base pull requests off of the `develop` branch, or off of `feature` if you're working on a new major release. For example, assume that the current NetBox release is v3.3.5. Work applied to the `develop` branch will appear in v3.3.6, and work done under the `feature` branch will be included in the next minor release (v3.4.0).
### Enable Pre-Commit Hooks
!!! warning
**Never** merge pull requests into the `master` branch: This branch only ever merges pull requests from the `develop` branch, to effect a new release.
To create a new branch, first ensure that you've checked out the desired base branch, then run:
```no-highlight
git checkout -B $branchname
```
When naming a new git branch, contributors are strongly encouraged to use the relevant issue number followed by a very brief description of the work:
```no-highlight
$issue-$description
```
The description should be just two or three words to imply the focus of the work being performed. For example, bug #1234 to fix a TypeError exception when creating a device might be named `1234-device-typerror`. This ensures that branches are always follow some logical ordering (e.g. when running `git branch -a`) and helps other developers quickly identify the purpose of each.
### 3. Enable Pre-Commit Hooks
NetBox ships with a [git pre-commit hook](https://githooks.com/) script that automatically checks for style compliance and missing database migrations prior to committing changes. This helps avoid erroneous commits that result in CI test failures. You are encouraged to enable it by creating a link to `scripts/git-hooks/pre-commit`:
```no-highlight
$ cd .git/hooks/
$ ln -s ../../scripts/git-hooks/pre-commit
cd .git/hooks/
ln -s ../../scripts/git-hooks/pre-commit
```
For the pre-commit hooks to work, you will also need to install the pycodestyle package:
### Create a Python Virtual Environment
```no-highlight
python -m pip install pycodestyle
```
...and set up the yarn packages as shown in the [Web UI Development Guide](web-ui.md)
A [virtual environment](https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/venv.html) is like a container for a set of Python packages. They allow you to build environments suited to specific projects without interfering with system packages or other projects. When installed per the documentation, NetBox uses a virtual environment in production.
### 4. Create a Python Virtual Environment
A [virtual environment](https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/venv.html) (or "venv" for short) is like a container for a set of Python packages. These allow you to build environments suited to specific projects without interfering with system packages or other projects. When installed per the documentation, NetBox uses a virtual environment in production.
Create a virtual environment using the `venv` Python module:
```no-highlight
$ mkdir ~/.venv
$ python3 -m venv ~/.venv/netbox
mkdir ~/.venv
python3 -m venv ~/.venv/netbox
```
This will create a directory named `.venv/netbox/` in your home directory, which houses a virtual copy of the Python executable and its related libraries and tooling. When running NetBox for development, it will be run using the Python binary at `~/.venv/netbox/bin/python`.
!!! info
Keeping virtual environments in `~/.venv/` is a common convention but entirely optional: Virtual environments can be created wherever you please.
!!! tip "Virtual Environments"
Keeping virtual environments in `~/.venv/` is a common convention but entirely optional: Virtual environments can be created almost wherever you please. Also consider using [`virtualenvwrapper`](https://virtualenvwrapper.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) to simplify the management of multiple environments.
Once created, activate the virtual environment:
```no-highlight
$ source ~/.venv/netbox/bin/activate
(netbox) $
source ~/.venv/netbox/bin/activate
```
Notice that the console prompt changes to indicate the active environment. This updates the necessary system environment variables to ensure that any Python scripts are run within the virtual environment.
### Install Dependencies
### 5. Install Required Packages
With the virtual environment activated, install the project's required Python packages using the `pip` module:
With the virtual environment activated, install the project's required Python packages using the `pip` module. Required packages are defined in `requirements.txt`. Each line in this file specifies the name and specific version of a required package.
* `REDIS`: Redis configuration, if different from the defaults
* `REDIS`: Redis configuration (if different from the defaults)
* `SECRET_KEY`: Set to a random string (use `generate_secret_key.py` in the parent directory to generate a suitable key)
* `DEBUG`: Set to `True`
* `DEVELOPER`: Set to `True` (this enables the creation of new database migrations)
### Start the Development Server
### 7. Start the Development Server
Django provides a lightweight, auto-updating HTTP/WSGI server for development use. NetBox extends this slightly to automatically import models and other utilities. Run the NetBox development server with the `nbshell` management command:
Django provides a lightweight, auto-updating [HTTP/WSGI server](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/django-admin/#runserver) for development use. It is started with the `runserver` management command:
```no-highlight
$ python netbox/manage.py runserver
```no-highlight hl_lines="1"
$ ./manage.py runserver
Performing system checks...
System check identified no issues (0 silenced).
November 18, 2020 - 15:52:31
Django version 3.1, using settings 'netbox.settings'
August 18, 2022 - 15:17:52
Django version 4.0.7, using settings 'netbox.settings'
Starting development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000/
Quit the server with CONTROL-C.
```
This ensures that your development environment is now complete and operational. Any changes you make to the code base will be automatically adapted by the development server.
This ensures that your development environment is now complete and operational. The development server will monitor the development environment and automatically reload in response to any changes made.
!!! tip "IDE Integration"
Some IDEs, such as the highly-recommended [PyCharm](https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/), will integrate with Django's development server and allow you to run it directly within the IDE. This is strongly encouraged as it makes for a much more convenient development environment.
## UI Development
For UI development you will need to review the [Web UI Development Guide](web-ui.md)
## Populating Demo Data
Once you have your development environment up and running, it might be helpful to populate some "dummy" data to make interacting with the UI and APIs more convenient. Check out the [netbox-demo-data](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox-demo-data) repo on GitHub, which houses a collection of sample data that can be easily imported to any new NetBox deployment. (This sample data is used to populate the public demo instance at <https://demo.netbox.dev>.)
The demo data is provided in JSON format and loaded into an empty database using Django's `loaddata` management command. Consult the demo data repo's `README` file for complete instructions on populating the data.
## Running Tests
Throughout the course of development, it's a good idea to occasionally run NetBox's test suite to catch any potential errors. Tests are run using the `test` management command:
Prior to committing any substantial changes to the code base, be sure to run NetBox's test suite to catch potential errors. Tests are run using the `test` management command, which employs Python's [`unittest`](https://docs.python.org/3/library/unittest.html#module-unittest) library. Remember to ensure that the Python virtual environment is active before running this command. Also keep in mind that these commands are executed in the `netbox/` directory, not the root directory of the repository.
To avoid potential issues with your local configuration file, set the `NETBOX_CONFIGURATION` to point to the packaged test configuration at `netbox/configuration_testing.py`. This will handle things like ensuring that the dummy plugin is enabled for comprehensive testing.
In cases where you haven't made any changes to the database (which is most of the time), you can append the `--keepdb` argument to this command to reuse the test database between runs. This cuts down on the time it takes to run the test suite since the database doesn't have to be rebuilt each time. (Note that this argument will cause errors if you've modified any model fields since the previous test run.)
In cases where you haven't made any changes to the database schema (which is typical), you can append the `--keepdb` argument to this command to reuse the test database between runs. This cuts down on the time it takes to run the test suite since the database doesn't have to be rebuilt each time. (Note that this argument will cause errors if you've modified any model fields since the previous test run.)
```no-highlight
$ python netbox/manage.py test --keepdb
python manage.py test --keepdb
```
You can also reduce testing time by enabling parallel test execution with the `--parallel` flag. (By default, this will run as many parallel tests as you have processors. To avoid sluggishness, it's a good idea to specify a lower number of parallel tests.) This flag can be combined with `--keepdb`, although if you encounter any strange errors, try running the test suite again with parallelization disabled.
```no-highlight
python manage.py test --parallel <n>
```
Finally, it's possible to limit the run to a specific set of tests, specified by their Python path. For example, to run only IPAM and DCIM view tests:
```no-highlight
python manage.py test dcim.tests.test_views ipam.tests.test_views
```
This is handy for instances where just a few tests are failing and you want to re-run them individually.
!!! info
NetBox uses [django-rich](https://github.com/adamchainz/django-rich) to enhance Django's default `test` management command.
## Submitting Pull Requests
Once you're happy with your work and have verified that all tests pass, commit your changes and push it upstream to your fork. Always provide descriptive (but not excessively verbose) commit messages. When working on a specific issue, be sure to reference it.
Once you're happy with your work and have verified that all tests pass, commit your changes and push it upstream to your fork. Always provide descriptive (but not excessively verbose) commit messages. Be sure to prefix your commit message with the word "Fixes" or "Closes" and the relevant issue number (with a hash mark). This tells GitHub to automatically close the referenced issue once the commit has been merged.
```no-highlight
$ git commit -m "Closes #1234: Add IPv5 support"
$ git push origin
git commit -m "Closes #1234: Add IPv5 support"
git push origin
```
Once your fork has the new commit, submit a [pull request](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/compare) to the NetBox repo to propose the changes. Be sure to provide a detailed accounting of the changes being made and the reasons for doing so.
Once submitted, a maintainer will review your pull request and either merge it or request changes. If changes are needed, you can make them via new commits to your fork: The pull request will update automatically.
!!! note
Remember, pull requests are entertained only for **accepted** issues. If an issue you want to work on hasn't been approved by a maintainer yet, it's best to avoid risking your time and effort on a change that might not be accepted.
!!! warning
Remember, pull requests are permitted only for **accepted** issues. If an issue you want to work on hasn't been approved by a maintainer yet, it's best to avoid risking your time and effort on a change that might not be accepted. (The one exception to this is trivial changes to the documentation or other non-critical resources.)
This cheat sheet serves as a convenient reference for NetBox contributors who already somewhat familiar with using git. For a general introduction to the tooling and workflows involved, please see GitHub's guide [Getting started with git](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/getting-started-with-git/setting-your-username-in-git).
## Common Operations
### Clone a Repo
This copies a remote git repository (e.g. from GitHub) to your local workstation. It will create a new directory bearing the repo's name in the current path.
`git branch` lists all local branches. Appending `-a` to this command will list both local (green) and remote (red) branches.
``` title="Command"
git branch -a
```
``` title="Example"
$ git branch -a
* develop
remotes/origin/10170-changelog
remotes/origin/HEAD -> origin/develop
remotes/origin/develop
remotes/origin/feature
remotes/origin/master
```
### Switch Branches
To switch to a different branch, use the `checkout` command.
``` title="Command"
git checkout $branchname
```
``` title="Example"
$ git checkout feature
Branch 'feature' set up to track remote branch 'feature' from 'origin'.
Switched to a new branch 'feature'
```
### Create a New Branch
Use the `-b` argument with `checkout` to create a new _local_ branch from the current branch.
``` title="Command"
git checkout -b $newbranch
```
``` title="Example"
$ git checkout -b 123-fix-foo
Switched to a new branch '123-fix-foo'
```
### Rename a Branch
To rename the current branch, use the `git branch` command with the `-m` argument (for "modify").
``` title="Command"
git branch -m $newname
```
``` title="Example"
$ git branch -m jstretch-testing
$ git branch
develop
feature
* jstretch-testing
```
### Merge a Branch
To merge one branch into another, use the `git merge` command. Start by checking out the _destination_ branch, and merge the _source_ branch into it.
``` title="Command"
git merge $sourcebranch
```
``` title="Example"
$ git checkout testing
Switched to branch 'testing'
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/testing'.
$ git merge branch2
Updating 9a12b5b5f..8ee42390b
Fast-forward
newfile.py | 0
1 file changed, 0 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
create mode 100644 newfile.py
```
!!! warning "Avoid Merging Remote Branches"
You generally want to avoid merging branches that exist on the remote (upstream) repository, such as `develop` and `feature`: Merges into these branches should be done via a pull request on GitHub. Only merge branches when it is necessary to consolidate work you've done locally.
### Show Pending Changes
After making changes to files in the repo, `git status` will display a summary of created, modified, and deleted files.
``` title="Command"
git status
```
``` title="Example"
$ git status
On branch 123-fix-foo
Changes not staged for commit:
(use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
(use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
modified: README.md
Untracked files:
(use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
foo.py
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")
```
### Stage Changed Files
Before creating a new commit, modified files must be staged. This is typically done with the `git add` command. You can specify a particular path, or just append `-A` to automatically staged _all_ changed files within the current directory. Run `git status` again to verify what files have been staged.
``` title="Command"
git add -A
```
``` title="Example"
$ git add -A
$ git status
On branch 123-fix-foo
Changes to be committed:
(use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage)
modified: README.md
new file: foo.py
```
### Review Staged Files
It's a good idea to thoroughly review all staged changes immediately prior to creating a new commit. This can be done using the `git diff` command. Appending the `--staged` argument will show staged changes; omitting it will show changes that have not yet been staged.
The `git commit` command records your changes to the current branch. Specify a commit message with the `-m` argument. (If omitted, a file editor will be opened to provide a message.
``` title="Command"
git commit -m "Fixes #123: Fixed the thing that was broken"
```
``` title="Example"
$ git commit -m "Fixes #123: Fixed the thing that was broken"
[123-fix-foo 9a12b5b5f] Fixes #123: Fixed the thing that was broken
2 files changed, 5 insertions(+)
create mode 100644 foo.py
```
!!! tip "Automatically Closing Issues"
GitHub will [automatically close](https://github.blog/2013-01-22-closing-issues-via-commit-messages/) any issues referenced in a commit message by `Fixes:` or `Closes:` when the commit is merged into the repository's default branch. Contributors are strongly encouraged to follow this convention when forming commit messages. (Use "Closes" for feature requests and "Fixes" for bugs.)
### Push a Commit Upstream
Once you've made a commit locally, it needs to be pushed upstream to the _remote_ repository (typically called "origin"). This is done with the `git push` command. If this is a new branch that doesn't yet exist on the remote repository, you'll need to set the upstream for it when pushing.
Branch 'testing' set up to track remote branch 'testing' from 'origin'.
```
!!! tip
You can apply the following git configuration to automatically set the upstream for all new branches. This obviates the need to specify `-u origin`.
```
git config --global push.default current
```
## The GitHub CLI Client
GitHub provides a [free CLI client](https://cli.github.com/) to simplify many aspects of interacting with GitHub repositories. Note that this utility is separate from `git`, and must be [installed separately](https://github.com/cli/cli#installation).
This guide provides some examples of common operations, but be sure to check out the [GitHub CLI manual](https://cli.github.com/manual/) for a complete accounting of available commands.
### List Open Pull Requests
``` title="Command"
gh pr list
```
``` title="Example"
$ gh pr list
Showing 3 of 3 open pull requests in netbox-community/netbox
#10223 #7503 API Bulk-Create of Devices does not check Rack-Space 7503-bulkdevice about 17 hours ago
#9716 Closes #9599: Add cursor pagination mode lyuyangh:cursor-pagination about 1 month ago
#9498 Adds replication and adoption for module import sleepinggenius2:issue_9361 about 2 months ago
```
### Check Out a PR
This command will automatically check out the remote branch associated with an open pull request.
``` title="Command"
gh pr checkout $number
```
``` title="Example"
$ gh pr checkout 10223
Branch '7503-bulkdevice' set up to track remote branch '7503-bulkdevice' from 'origin'.
Switched to a new branch '7503-bulkdevice'
```
## Fixing Mistakes
### Modify the Previous Commit
Sometimes you'll find that you've overlooked a necessary change and need to commit again. If you haven't pushed your most recent commit and just need to make a small tweak or two, you can _amend_ your most recent commit instead of creating a new one.
First, stage the desired files with `git add` and verify the changes, the issue the `git commit` command with the `--amend` argument. You can also append the `--no-edit` argument if you would like to keep the previous commit message.
``` title="Command"
git commit --amend --no-edit
```
``` title="Example"
$ git add -A
$ git diff --staged
$ git commit --amend --no-edit
[testing 239b16921] Added a new file
Date: Fri Aug 26 16:30:05 2022 -0400
2 files changed, 1 insertion(+)
create mode 100644 newfile.py
```
!!! danger "Don't Amend After Pushing"
Never amend a commit you've already pushed upstream unless you're **certain** no one else is working on the same branch. Force-pushing will overwrite the change history, which will break any commits from other contributors. When in doubt, create a new commit instead.
### Undo the Last Commit
The `git reset` command can be used to undo the most recent commit. (`HEAD~` is equivalent to `HEAD~1` and references the commit prior to the current HEAD.) After making and staging your changes, commit using `-c ORIG_HEAD` to replace the erroneous commit.
``` title="Command"
git reset HEAD~
```
``` title="Example"
$ git add -A
$ git commit -m "Erroneous commit"
[testing 09ce06736] Erroneous commit
Date: Mon Aug 29 15:20:04 2022 -0400
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
create mode 100644 BADCHANGE
$ git reset HEAD~
$ rm BADFILE
$ git add -A
$ git commit -m "Fixed commit"
[testing c585709f3] Fixed commit
Date: Mon Aug 29 15:22:38 2022 -0400
1 file changed, 65 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-)
```
!!! danger "Don't Reset After Pushing"
Resetting only works until you've pushed your local changes upstream. If you've already pushed upstream, use `git revert` instead. This will create a _new_ commit that reverts the erroneous one, but ensures that the git history remains intact.
### Rebase from Upstream
If a change has been pushed to the upstream branch since you most recently pulled it, attempting to push a new local commit will fail:
```
$ git push
To https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox.git
! [rejected] develop -> develop (fetch first)
error: failed to push some refs to 'https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox.git'
hint: Updates were rejected because the remote contains work that you do
hint: not have locally. This is usually caused by another repository pushing
hint: to the same ref. You may want to first integrate the remote changes
hint: (e.g., 'git pull ...') before pushing again.
hint: See the 'Note about fast-forwards' in 'git push --help' for details.
```
To resolve this, first fetch the upstream branch to update your local copy, and then [rebase](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Branching-Rebasing) your local branch to include the new changes. Once the rebase has completed, you can push your local commits upstream.
NetBox is maintained as a [GitHub project](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox) under the Apache 2 license. Users are encouraged to submit GitHub issues for feature requests and bug reports, however we are very selective about pull requests. Please see the `CONTRIBUTING` guide for more direction on contributing to NetBox.
Thanks for your interest in contributing to NetBox! This introduction covers a few important things to know before you get started.
## Communication
## The Code
There are several official forums for communication among the developers and community members:
NetBox and many of its related projects are maintained on [GitHub](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox). GitHub also serves as one of our primary discussion forums. While all the code and discussion is publicly accessible, you'll need register for a [free GitHub account](https://github.com/signup) to engage in participation. Most people begin by [forking](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/fork-a-repo) the NetBox repository under their own GitHub account to begin working on the code.
*[GitHub issues](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/issues) - All feature requests, bug reports, and other substantial changes to the code base **must** be documented in an issue.
* [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/discussions) - The preferred forum for general discussion and support issues. Ideal for shaping a feature request prior to submitting an issue.
* [#netbox on NetDev Community Slack](https://netdev.chat/) - Good for quick chats. Avoid any discussion that might need to be referenced later on, as the chat history is not retained long.
* [Google Group](https://groups.google.com/g/netbox-discuss) - Legacy mailing list; slowly being phased out in favor of GitHub discussions.
## Governance
There are three permanent branches in the repository:
NetBox follows the [benevolent dictator](http://oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/benevolentdictatorgovernancemodel) model of governance, with [Jeremy Stretch](https://github.com/jeremystretch) ultimately responsible for all changes to the code base. While community contributions are welcomed and encouraged, the lead maintainer's primary role is to ensure the project's long-term maintainability and continued focus on its primary functions (in other words, avoid scope creep).
*`master` - The current stable release. Individual changes should never be pushed directly to this branch, but rather merged from `develop`.
*`develop` - Active development for the upcoming patch release. Pull requests will typically be based on this branch unless they introduce breaking changes that must be deferred until the next minor release.
*`feature` - New feature work to be introduced in the next minor release (e.g. from v3.3 to v3.4).
## Project Structure
All development of the current NetBox release occurs in the `develop` branch; releases are packaged from the `master` branch. The `master` branch should _always_ represent the current stable release in its entirety, such that installing NetBox by either downloading a packaged release or cloning the `master` branch provides the same code base.
NetBox components are arranged into functional subsections called _apps_ (a carryover from Django vernacular). Each app holds the models, views, and templates relevant to a particular function:
NetBox components are arranged into Django apps. Each app holds the models, views, and other resources relevant to a particular function:
*`circuits`: Communications circuits and providers (not to be confused with power circuits)
*`dcim`: Datacenter infrastructure management (sites, racks, and devices)
@@ -29,3 +24,37 @@ NetBox components are arranged into functional subsections called _apps_ (a carr
*`users`: Authentication and user preferences
*`utilities`: Resources which are not user-facing (extendable classes, etc.)
*`virtualization`: Virtual machines and clusters
*`wireless`: Wireless links and LANs
All core functionality is stored within the `netbox/` subdirectory. HTML templates are stored in a common `templates/` directory, with model- and view-specific templates arranged by app. Documentation is kept in the `docs/` root directory.
## Proposing Changes
All substantial changes made to the code base are tracked using [GitHub issues](https://docs.github.com/en/issues). Feature requests, bug reports, and similar proposals must all be filed as issues and approved by a maintainer before work begins. This ensures that all changes to the code base are properly documented for future reference.
To submit a new feature request or bug report for NetBox, select and complete the appropriate [issue template](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/issues/new/choose). Once your issue has been approved, you're welcome to submit a [pull request](https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests) containing your proposed changes.
Check out our [issue intake policy](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/wiki/Issue-Intake-Policy) for an overview of the issue triage and approval processes.
!!! tip
Avoid starting work on a proposal before it has been accepted. Not all proposed changes will be accepted, and we'd hate for you to waste time working on code that might not make it into the project.
## Getting Help
There are two primary forums for getting assistance with NetBox development:
* [GitHub discussions](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/discussions) - The preferred forum for general discussion and support issues. Ideal for shaping a feature requests prior to submitting an issue.
* [#netbox on NetDev Community Slack](https://netdev.chat/) - Good for quick chats. Avoid any discussion that might need to be referenced later on, as the chat history is not retained indefinitely.
!!! note
Don't use GitHub issues to ask for help: These are reserved for proposed code changes only.
## Governance
NetBox follows the [benevolent dictator](http://oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/benevolentdictatorgovernancemodel) model of governance, with [Jeremy Stretch](https://github.com/jeremystretch) ultimately responsible for all changes to the code base. While community contributions are welcomed and encouraged, the lead maintainer's primary role is to ensure the project's long-term maintainability and continued focus on its primary functions.
## Licensing
The entire NetBox project is licensed as open source under the [Apache 2.0 license](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/blob/master/LICENSE.txt). This is a very permissive license which allows unlimited redistribution of all code within the project. Note that all submissions to the project are subject to the same license.
A NetBox model represents a discrete object type such as a device or IP address. Each model is defined as a Python class and has its own SQL table. All NetBox data models can be categorized by type.
A NetBox model represents a discrete object type such as a device or IP address. Per [Django convention](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/topics/db/models/), each model is defined as a Python class and has its own SQL table. All NetBox data models can be categorized by type.
The Django [content types](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/ref/contrib/contenttypes/) framework can be used to reference models within the database. A ContentType instance references a model by its `app_label` and `name`: For example, the Site model is referred to as `dcim.site`. The content type combined with an object's primary key form a globally unique identifier for the object (e.g. `dcim.site:123`).
### Features Matrix
* [Change logging](../additional-features/change-logging.md) - Changes to these objects are automatically recorded in the change log
* [Webhooks](../additional-features/webhooks.md) - NetBox is capable of generating outgoing webhooks for these objects
* [Change logging](../features/change-logging.md) - Changes to these objects are automatically recorded in the change log
* [Webhooks](../integrations/webhooks.md) - NetBox is capable of generating outgoing webhooks for these objects
* [Custom fields](../customization/custom-fields.md) - These models support the addition of user-defined fields
* [Export templates](../customization/export-templates.md) - Users can create custom export templates for these models
* [Tagging](../models/extras/tag.md) - The models can be tagged with user-defined tags
* [Journaling](../additional-features/journaling.md) - These models support persistent historical commentary
* [Journaling](../features/journaling.md) - These models support persistent historical commentary
* Nesting - These models can be nested recursively to create a hierarchy
This documentation describes the process of packaging and publishing a new NetBox release. There are three types of release:
### Address Pinned Dependencies
* Major release (e.g. v2.11 to v3.0)
* Minor release (e.g. v3.2 to v3.3)
* Patch release (e.g. v3.3.0 to v3.3.1)
Check `base_requirements.txt` for any dependencies pinned to a specific version, and upgrade them to their most stable release (where possible).
While major releases generally introduce some very substantial change to the application, they are typically treated the same as minor version increments for the purpose of release packaging.
### Link to the Release Notes Page
## Minor Version Releases
Add the release notes (`/docs/release-notes/X.Y.md`) to the table of contents within `mkdocs.yml`, and point `index.md` to the new file.
### Address Constrained Dependencies
### Manually Perform a New Install
Install `mkdocs` in your local environment, then start the documentation server:
```no-highlight
$ pip install -r docs/requirements.txt
$ mkdocs serve
```
Follow these instructions to perform a new installation of NetBox. This process must _not_ be automated: The goal of this step is to catch any errors or omissions in the documentation, and ensure that it is kept up-to-date for each release. Make any necessary changes to the documentation before proceeding with the release.
### Close the Release Milestone
Close the release milestone on GitHub after ensuring there are no remaining open issues associated with it.
### Merge the Release Branch
Submit a pull request to merge the `feature` branch into the `develop` branch in preparation for its release.
---
## All Releases
### Update Requirements
Required Python packages are maintained in two files. `base_requirements.txt` contains a list of all the packages required by NetBox. Some of them may be pinned to a specific version of the package due to a known issue. For example:
Sometimes it becomes necessary to constrain dependencies to a particular version, e.g. to work around a bug in a newer release or to avoid a breaking change that we have yet to accommodate. (Another common example is to limit the upstream Django release.) For example:
The other file is `requirements.txt`, which lists each of the required packages pinned to its current stable version. When NetBox is installed, the Python environment is configured to match this file. This helps ensure that a new release of a dependency doesn't break NetBox.
These version constraints are added to `base_requirements.txt` to ensure that newer packages are not installed when updating the pinned dependencies in`requirements.txt` (see the [Update Requirements](#update-requirements) section below). Before each new minor version of NetBox is released, all such constraints on dependent packages should be addressed if feasible. This guards against the collection of stale constraints over time.
Every release should refresh `requirements.txt` so that it lists the most recent stable release of each package. To do this:
### Close the Release Milestone
1. Create a new virtual environment.
2. Install the latest version of all required packages `pip install -U -r base_requirements.txt`).
3. Run all tests and check that the UI and API function as expected.
4. Review each requirement's release notes for any breaking or otherwise noteworthy changes.
5. Update the package versions in `requirements.txt` as appropriate.
Close the [release milestone](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/milestones) on GitHub after ensuring there are no remaining open issues associated with it.
In cases where upgrading a dependency to its most recent release is breaking, it should be pinned to its current minor version in `base_requirements.txt` (with an explanatory comment) and revisited for the next major NetBox release.
### Update the Release Notes
### Verify CI Build Status
Check that a link to the release notes for the new version is present in the navigation menu (defined in `mkdocs.yml`), and that a summary of all major new features has been added to `docs/index.md`.
Ensure that continuous integration testing on the `develop` branch is completing successfully.
### Manually Perform a New Install
Start the documentation server and navigate to the current version of the installation docs:
```no-highlight
mkdocs serve
```
Follow these instructions to perform a new installation of NetBox in a temporary environment. This process must not be automated: The goal of this step is to catch any errors or omissions in the documentation, and ensure that it is kept up-to-date for each release. Make any necessary changes to the documentation before proceeding with the release.
### Merge the Release Branch
Submit a pull request to merge the `feature` branch into the `develop` branch in preparation for its release. Once it has been merged, continue with the section for patch releases below.
---
## Patch Releases
### Update Requirements
Before each release, update each of NetBox's Python dependencies to its most recent stable version. These are defined in `requirements.txt`, which is updated from `base_requirements.txt` using `pip`. To do this:
1. Upgrade the installed version of all required packages in your environment (`pip install -U -r base_requirements.txt`).
2. Run all tests and check that the UI and API function as expected.
3. Review each requirement's release notes for any breaking or otherwise noteworthy changes.
4. Update the package versions in `requirements.txt` as appropriate.
In cases where upgrading a dependency to its most recent release is breaking, it should be constrained to its current minor version in `base_requirements.txt` with an explanatory comment and revisited for the next major NetBox release (see the [Address Constrained Dependencies](#address-constrained-dependencies) section above).
### Update Version and Changelog
@@ -64,28 +64,35 @@ Ensure that continuous integration testing on the `develop` branch is completing
* Update the example version numbers in the feature request and bug report templates under `.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATES/`.
* Replace the "FUTURE" placeholder in the release notes with the current date.
Commit these changes to the `develop` branch.
Commit these changes to the `develop` branch and push upstream.
### Verify CI Build Status
Ensure that continuous integration testing on the `develop` branch is completing successfully. If it fails, take action to correct the failure before proceding with the release.
### Submit a Pull Request
Submit a pull request title **"Release vX.Y.Z"** to merge the `develop` branch into `master`. Copy the documented release notes into the pull request's body.
Submit a pull request titled **"Release vX.Y.Z"** to merge the `develop` branch into `master`. Copy the documented release notes into the pull request's body.
Once CI has completed on the PR, merge it.
Once CI has completed on the PR, merge it. This effects a new release in the `master` branch.
### Create a New Release
Draft a [new release](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/releases/new) with the following parameters.
Create a [new release](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/releases/new) on GitHub with the following parameters.
* **Tag:** Current version (e.g. `v2.9.9`)
* **Tag:** Current version (e.g. `v3.3.1`)
* **Target:** `master`
* **Title:** Version and date (e.g. `v2.9.9 - 2020-11-09`)
* **Title:** Version and date (e.g. `v3.3.1 - 2022-08-25`)
* **Description:** Copy from the pull request body
Copy the description from the pull request to the release.
Once created, the release will become available for users to install.
### Update the Development Version
On the `develop` branch, update `VERSION` in `settings.py` to point to the next release. For example, if you just released v2.9.9, set:
On the `develop` branch, update `VERSION` in `settings.py` to point to the next release. For example, if you just released v3.3.1, set:
```
VERSION = 'v2.9.10-dev'
VERSION = 'v3.3.2-dev'
```
Commit this change with the comment "PRVB" (for _post-release version bump_) and push the commit upstream.
NetBox generally follows the [Django style guide](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/internals/contributing/writing-code/coding-style/), which is itself based on [PEP 8](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/). [Pycodestyle](https://github.com/pycqa/pycodestyle) is used to validate code formatting, ignoring certain violations. See `scripts/cibuild.sh`.
NetBox generally follows the [Django style guide](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/stable/internals/contributing/writing-code/coding-style/), which is itself based on [PEP 8](https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/). [Pycodestyle](https://github.com/pycqa/pycodestyle) is used to validate code formatting, ignoring certain violations.
## PEP 8 Exceptions
## Code
* Wildcard imports (for example, `from .constants import *`) are acceptable under any of the following conditions:
* The library being import contains only constant declarations (e.g. `constants.py`)
* The library being imported explicitly defines `__all__`
### General Guidance
*Maximum line length is 120 characters (E501)
* This does not apply to HTML templates or to automatically generated code (e.g. database migrations).
*When in doubt, remain consistent: It is better to be consistently incorrect than inconsistently correct. If you notice in the course of unrelated work a pattern that should be corrected, continue to follow the pattern for now and submit a separate bug report so that the entire code base can be evaluated at a later point.
*Line breaks are permitted following binary operators (W504)
*Prioritize readability over concision. Python is a very flexible language that typically offers several multiple options for expressing a given piece of logic, but some may be more friendly to the reader than others. (List comprehensions are particularly vulnerable to over-optimization.) Always remain considerate of the future reader who may need to interpret your code without the benefit of the context within which you are writing it.
## Enforcing Code Style
* Include a newline at the end of every file.
The `pycodestyle` utility (previously `pep8`) is used by the CI process to enforce code style. It is strongly recommended to include as part of your commit process. A git commit hook is provided in the source at `scripts/git-hooks/pre-commit`. Linking to this script from `.git/hooks/` will invoke `pycodestyle` prior to every commit attempt and abort if the validation fails.
* No easter eggs. While they can be fun, NetBox must be considered as a business-critical tool. The potential, however minor, for introducing a bug caused by unnecessary code is best avoided entirely.
```
$ cd .git/hooks/
$ ln -s ../../scripts/git-hooks/pre-commit
```
* Constants (variables which do not change) should be declared in `constants.py` within each app. Wildcard imports from the file are acceptable.
To invoke `pycodestyle` manually, run:
* Every model must have a [docstring](https://peps.python.org/pep-0257/). Every custom method should include an explanation of its function.
* Nested API serializers generate minimal representations of an object. These are stored separately from the primary serializers to avoid circular dependencies. Always import nested serializers from other apps directly. For example, from within the DCIM app you would write `from ipam.api.nested_serializers import NestedIPAddressSerializer`.
### PEP 8 Exceptions
NetBox ignores certain PEP8 assertions. These are listed below.
#### Wildcard Imports
Wildcard imports (for example, `from .constants import *`) are acceptable under any of the following conditions:
* The library being import contains only constant declarations (e.g. `constants.py`)
* The library being imported explicitly defines `__all__`
#### Maximum Line Length (E501)
NetBox does not restrict lines to a maximum length of 79 characters. We use a maximum line length of 120 characters, however this is not enforced by CI. The maximum length does not apply to HTML templates or to automatically generated code (e.g. database migrations).
#### Line Breaks Following Binary Operators (W504)
Line breaks are permitted following binary operators.
### Enforcing Code Style
The [`pycodestyle`](https://pypi.org/project/pycodestyle/) utility (formerly `pep8`) is used by the CI process to enforce code style. A [pre-commit hook](./getting-started.md#2-enable-pre-commit-hooks) which runs this automatically is included with NetBox. To invoke `pycodestyle` manually, run:
```
pycodestyle --ignore=W504,E501 netbox/
```
## Introducing New Dependencies
### Introducing New Dependencies
The introduction of a new dependency is best avoided unless it is absolutely necessary. For small features, it's generally preferable to replicate functionality within the NetBox code base rather than to introduce reliance on an external project. This reduces both the burden of tracking new releases and our exposure to outside bugs and attacks.
The introduction of a new dependency is best avoided unless it is absolutely necessary. For small features, it's generally preferable to replicate functionality within the NetBox code base rather than to introduce reliance on an external project. This reduces both the burden of tracking new releases and our exposure to outside bugs and supply chain attacks.
If there's a strong case for introducing a new dependency, it must meet the following criteria:
@@ -39,24 +58,22 @@ If there's a strong case for introducing a new dependency, it must meet the foll
* It must be actively maintained, with no longer than one year between releases.
* It must be available via the [Python Package Index](https://pypi.org/) (PyPI).
When adding a new dependency, a short description of the package and the URL of its code repository must be added to `base_requirements.txt`. Additionally, a line specifying the package name pinned to the current stable release must be added to `requirements.txt`. This ensures that NetBox will install only the known-good release and simplify support efforts.
When adding a new dependency, a short description of the package and the URL of its code repository must be added to `base_requirements.txt`. Additionally, a line specifying the package name pinned to the current stable release must be added to `requirements.txt`. This ensures that NetBox will install only the known-good release.
## General Guidance
## Written Works
* When in doubt, remain consistent: It is better to be consistently incorrect than inconsistently correct. If you notice in the course of unrelated work a pattern that should be corrected, continue to follow the pattern for now and open a bug so that the entire code base can be evaluated at a later point.
### General Guidance
*Prioritize readability over concision. Python is a very flexible language that typically offers several options for expressing a given piece of logic, but some may be more friendly to the reader than others. (List comprehensions are particularly vulnerable to over-optimization.) Always remain considerate of the future reader who may need to interpret your code without the benefit of the context within which you are writing it.
*Written material must always meet a reasonable professional standard, with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
*No easter eggs. While they can be fun, NetBox must be considered as a business-critical tool. The potential, however minor, for introducing a bug caused by unnecessary logic is best avoided entirely.
*Use two line breaks between paragraphs.
*Constants (variables which generally do not change) should be declared in `constants.py` within each app. Wildcard imports from the file are acceptable.
*Use only a single space between sentences.
*Every model should have a docstring. Every custom method should include an explanation of its function.
*All documentation is to be written in [Markdown](../reference/markdown.md), with modest amounts of HTML permitted where needed to overcome technical limitations.
* Nested API serializers generate minimal representations of an object. These are stored separately from the primary serializers to avoid circular dependencies. Always import nested serializers from other apps directly. For example, from within the DCIM app you would write `from ipam.api.nested_serializers import NestedIPAddressSerializer`.
### Branding
## Branding
* When referring to NetBox in writing, use the proper form "NetBox," with the letters N and B capitalized. The lowercase form "netbox" should be used in code, filenames, etc. But never "Netbox" or any other deviation.
* When referring to NetBox in writing, use the proper form "NetBox," with the letters N and B capitalized. The lowercase form "netbox" should be used in code, filenames, etc. but never "Netbox" or any other deviation.
* There is an SVG form of the NetBox logo at [docs/netbox_logo.svg](../netbox_logo.svg). It is preferred to use this logo for all purposes as it scales to arbitrary sizes without loss of resolution. If a raster image is required, the SVG logo should be converted to a PNG image of the prescribed size.
NetBox includes a slew of features which enable integration with other tools and resources powering your network.
## REST API
NetBox's REST API, powered by the [Django REST Framework](https://www.django-rest-framework.org/), provides a robust yet accessible interface for creating, modifying, and deleting objects. Employing HTTP for transfer and JSON for data encapsulation, the REST API is easily consumed by clients on any platform and extremely well suited for automation tasks.
The REST API employs token-based authentication, which maps API clients to user accounts and their assigned permissions. The API endpoints are fully documented using OpenAPI, and NetBox even includes a convenient browser-based version of the API for exploration. The open source [pynetbox](https://github.com/netbox-community/pynetbox) and [go-netbox](https://github.com/netbox-community/go-netbox) API client libraries are also available for Python and Go, respectively.
To learn more about this feature, check out the [REST API documentation](../integrations/rest-api.md).
## GraphQL API
NetBox also provides a [GraphQL](https://graphql.org/) API to complement its REST API. GraphQL enables complex queries for arbitrary objects and fields, enabling the client to retrieve only the specific data it needs from NetBox. This is a special-purpose read-only API intended for efficient queries. Like the REST API, the GraphQL API employs token-based authentication.
To learn more about this feature, check out the [GraphQL API documentation](../integrations/graphql-api.md).
## Webhooks
A webhook is a mechanism for conveying to some external system a change that took place in NetBox. For example, you may want to notify a monitoring system whenever the status of a device is updated in NetBox. This can be done by creating a webhook for the device model in NetBox and identifying the webhook receiver. When NetBox detects a change to a device, an HTTP request containing the details of the change and who made it be sent to the specified receiver. Webhooks are an excellent mechanism for building event-based automation processes.
To learn more about this feature, check out the [webhooks documentation](../integrations/webhooks.md).
## NAPALM
[NAPALM](https://github.com/napalm-automation/napalm) is a Python library which enables direct interaction with network devices of various platforms. When configured, NetBox supports fetching live operational and status data directly from network devices to be compared to what has been defined in NetBox. This allows for easily validating the device's operational state against its desired state. Additionally, NetBox's REST API can act as a sort of proxy for NAPALM commands, allowing external clients to interact with network devices by sending HTTP requests to the appropriate API endpoint.
To learn more about this feature, check out the [NAPALM documentation](../integrations/napalm.md).
## Prometheus Metrics
NetBox includes a special `/metrics` view which exposes metrics for a [Prometheus](https://prometheus.io/) scraper, powered by the open source [django-prometheus](https://github.com/korfuri/django-prometheus) library. To learn more about this feature, check out the [Prometheus metrics documentation](../integrations/prometheus-metrics.md).
NetBox boasts a very robust permissions system which extends well beyond the model-based permissions of the underlying Django framework. Assigning permissions in NetBox involves several dimensions:
* The type(s) of object to which the permission applies
* The users and/or groups being granted the permissions
* The action(s) permitted by the permission (e.g. view, add, change, etc.)
* Any constraints limiting application of the permission to a particular subset of objects
The implementation of constrains is what enables NetBox administrators to assign per-object permissions: Users can be limited to viewing or interacting with arbitrary subsets of objects based on the objects' attributes. For example, you might restrict a particular user to viewing only those prefixes or IP addresses within a particular VRF. Or you might restrict a group to modifying devices within a particular region.
Permission constraints are declared in JSON format when creating a permission, and operate very similarly to Django ORM queries. For instance, here's a constraint that matches reserved VLANs with a VLAN ID between 100 and 199:
```json
[
{
"vid__gte":100,
"vid__lt":200
},
{
"status":"reserved"
}
]
```
Check out the [permissions documentation](../administration/permissions.md) for more information about permission constraints.
## LDAP Authentication
NetBox includes a built-in authentication backend for authenticating users against a remote LDAP server. The [installation documentation](../installation/6-ldap.md) provides more detail on this capability.
## Single Sign-On (SSO)
NetBox integrates with the open source [python-social-auth](https://github.com/python-social-auth) library to provide [myriad options](https://python-social-auth.readthedocs.io/en/latest/backends/index.html#supported-backends) for single sign-on (SSO) authentication. These include:
* Cognito
* GitHub & GitHub Enterprise
* GitLab
* Google
* Hashicorp Vault
* Keycloak
* Microsoft Azure AD
* Microsoft Graph
* Okta
* OIDC
...and many others. It's also possible to build your own custom backends as needed using python-social-auth's base OAuth, OpenID, and SAML classes. You can find some examples of configuring SSO in NetBox' [authentication documentation](../administration/authentication/overview.md).
NetBox is ideal for managing your network's transit and peering providers and circuits. It provides all the flexibility needed to model physical circuits in both data center and enterprise environments, and allows for "connecting" circuits directly to device interfaces via cables.
A provider is any organization which provides Internet or private connectivity. Typically, these are large carriers, however they might also include regional providers or even internal services. Each provider can be assigned account and contact details, and may have one or more AS numbers assigned to it.
Sometimes you'll need to model provider networks into which you don't have full visibility; these are typically represented on topology diagrams with cloud icons. NetBox facilitates this through its provider network model: A provider network represents a "black box" network to which your circuits can connect. A common example is a provider MPLS network connecting multiple sites.
## Circuits
A circuit is a physical connection between two points, which is installed and maintained by an external provider. For example, an Internet connection delivered as a fiber optic cable would be modeled as a circuit in NetBox.
Each circuit is associated with a provider and assigned a circuit ID, which must be unique to that provider. A circuit is also assigned a user-defined type, operational status, and various other operating characteristics.
Each circuit may have up to two terminations (A and Z) defined. Each termination can be associated with a particular site or provider network. In the case of the former, a cable can be connected between the circuit termination and a device component to map its physical connectivity.
!!! warning "Physical vs. Virtual Circuits"
The circuit model in NetBox represents **physical** connections. Don't confuse these with _virtual_ circuits which may be offered by providers overlaid on physical infrastructure. (For example, a VLAN-tagged subinterface would be a virtual circuit.) A good rule of thumb: If you can't point to it, it's not a physical circuit.
Much like [tenancy](./tenancy.md), contact assignment enables you to track ownership of resources modeled in NetBox. A contact represents an individual responsible for a resource within the context of its assigned role.
Contacts can be grouped arbitrarily into a recursive hierarchy, and a contact can be assigned to a group at any level within the hierarchy.
## Contact Roles
A contact role defines the relationship of a contact to an assigned object. For example, you might define roles for administrative, operational, and emergency contacts.
## Contacts
A contact should represent an individual or permanent point of contact. Each contact must define a name, and may optionally include a title, phone number, email address, and related details.
Contacts are reused for assignments, so each unique contact must be created only once and can be assigned to any number of NetBox objects, and there is no limit to the number of assigned contacts an object may have. Most core objects in NetBox can have contacts assigned to them.
The following models support the assignment of contacts:
Configuration context data (or "config contexts" for short) is a powerful feature that enables users to define arbitrary data that applies to device and virtual machines based on certain characteristics. For example, suppose you want to define syslog servers for devices assigned to sites within a particular region. In NetBox, you can create a config context instance containing this data and apply it to the desired region. All devices within this region will now include this data when fetched via an API.
```json
{
"syslog-servers":[
"192.168.43.107",
"192.168.48.112"
]
}
```
Config contexts can be computed for objects based on the following criteria:
| Tenant group | :material-check: | :material-check: |
| Tenant | :material-check: | :material-check: |
| Tag | :material-check: | :material-check: |
There are no restrictions around what data can be stored in a configuration context, so long as it can be expressed in JSON.
## Hierarchical Rendering
While this is handy on its own, the real power of context data stems from its ability to be merged and overridden using multiple instances. For example, perhaps you need to define _different_ syslog servers within the region for a particular device role. You can create a second config context with the appropriate data and a higher weight, and apply it to the desired role. This will override the lower-weight data that applies to the entire region. As you can imagine, this flexibility can cater to many complex use cases.
For example, suppose we want to specify a set of syslog and NTP servers for all devices within a region. We could create a config context instance with a weight of 1000 assigned to the region, with the following JSON data:
```json
{
"ntp-servers":[
"172.16.10.22",
"172.16.10.33"
],
"syslog-servers":[
"172.16.9.100",
"172.16.9.101"
]
}
```
But suppose there's a problem at one particular site within this region preventing traffic from reaching the regional syslog server. Devices there need to use a local syslog server instead of the two defined above. We'll create a second config context assigned only to that site with a weight of 2000 and the following data:
```json
{
"syslog-servers":[
"192.168.43.107"
]
}
```
When the context data for a device at this site is rendered, the second, higher-weight data overwrite the first, resulting in the following:
```json
{
"ntp-servers":[
"172.16.10.22",
"172.16.10.33"
],
"syslog-servers":[
"192.168.43.107"
]
}
```
Data from the higher-weight context overwrites conflicting data from the lower-weight context, while the non-conflicting portion of the lower-weight context (the list of NTP servers) is preserved.
## Local Context Data
Devices and virtual machines may also have a local context data defined. This local context will _always_ take precedence over any separate config context objects which apply to the device/VM. This is useful in situations where we need to call out a specific deviation in the data for a particular object.
!!! warning
If you find that you're routinely defining local context data for many individual devices or virtual machines, [custom fields](./customization.md#custom-fields) may offer a more effective solution.
While NetBox strives to meet the needs of every network, the needs of users to cater to their own unique environments cannot be ignored. NetBox was built with this in mind, and can be customized in many ways to better suit your particular needs.
## Tags
Most objects in NetBox can be assigned user-created tags to aid with organization and filtering. Tag values are completely arbitrary: They may be used to store data in key-value pairs, or they may be employed simply as labels against which objects can be filtered. Each tag can also be assigned a color for quicker differentiation in the user interface.
Objects can be filtered by the tags they have applied. For example, the following API request will retrieve all devices tagged as "monitored":
```no-highlight
GET /api/dcim/devices/?tag=monitored
```
The `tag` filter can be specified multiple times to match only objects which have _all_ the specified tags assigned:
```no-highlight
GET /api/dcim/devices/?tag=monitored&tag=deprecated
```
## Custom Fields
While NetBox provides a rather extensive data model out of the box, the need may arise to store certain additional data associated with NetBox objects. For example, you might need to record the invoice ID alongside an installed device, or record an approving authority when creating a new IP prefix. NetBox administrators can create custom fields on built-in objects to meet these needs.
NetBox supports many types of custom field, from basic data types like strings and integers, to complex structures like selection lists or raw JSON. It's even possible to add a custom field which references other NetBox objects. Custom field data is stored directly alongside the object to which it is applied in the database, which ensures minimal performance impact. And custom field data can be written and read via the REST API, just like built-in fields.
To learn more about this feature, check out the [custom field documentation](../customization/custom-fields.md).
## Custom Links
Custom links allow you to conveniently reference external resources related to NetBox objects from within the NetBox UI. For example, you might wish to link each virtual machine modeled in NetBox to its corresponding view in some orchestration application. You can do this by creating a templatized custom link for the virtual machine model, specifying something like the following for the link URL:
```no-highlight
http://server.local/vms/?name={{ object.name }}
```
Now, when viewing a virtual machine in NetBox, a user will see a handy button with the chosen title and link (complete with the name of the VM being viewed). Both the text and URL of custom links can be templatized in this manner, and custom links can be grouped together into dropdowns for more efficient display.
To learn more about this feature, check out the [custom link documentation](../customization/custom-links.md).
## Custom Validation
While NetBox employs robust built-in object validation to ensure the integrity of its database, you might wish to enforce additional rules governing the creation and modification of certain objects. For example, perhaps you require that every device defined in NetBox adheres to a particular naming scheme and includes an asset tag. You can configure a custom validation rule in NetBox to enforce these requirements for the device model:
```python
CUSTOM_VALIDATORS = {
"dcim.device": [
{
"name": {
"regex": "[a-z]+\d{3}"
},
"asset_tag": {
"required": True
}
}
]
}
```
To learn more about this feature, check out the [custom validation documentation](../customization/custom-validation.md).
## Export Templates
Most NetBox objects can be exported in bulk in two built-in CSV formats: The current view (what the user currently sees in the objects list), or all available data. NetBox also provides the capability to define your own custom data export formats via export templates. An export template is essentially [Jinja2](https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/) template code associated with a particular object type. From the objects list in the NetBox UI, a user can select any of the created export templates to export the objects according to the template logic.
An export template doesn't have to render CSV data: Its output can be in any character-based format. For example, you might want to render data using tabs as delimiters, or even create DNS address records directly from the IP addresses list. Export templates are a great way to get the data you need in the format you need quickly.
To learn more about this feature, check out the [export template documentation](../customization/export-templates.md).
## Reports
NetBox administrators can install custom Python scripts, known as _reports_, which run within NetBox and can be executed and analyzed within the NetBox UI. Reports are a great way to evaluate NetBox objects against a set of arbitrary rules. For example, you could write a report to check that every router has a loopback interface with an IP address assigned, or that every site has a minimum set of VLANs defined.
When a report runs, its logs messages pertaining to the operations being performed, and will ultimately result in either a pass or fail. Reports can be executed via the UI, REST API, or CLI (as a management command).
To learn more about this feature, check out the [documentation for reports](../customization/reports.md).
## Custom Scripts
Custom scripts are similar to reports, but more powerful. A custom script can prompt the user for input via a form (or API data), and is built to do much more than just reporting. Custom scripts are generally used to automate tasks, such as the population of new objects in NetBox, or exchanging data with external systems.
The complete Python environment is available to a custom script, including all of NetBox's internal mechanisms: There are no artificial restrictions on what a script can do. As such, custom scripting is considered an advanced feature and requires sufficient familiarity with Python and NetBox's data model.
To learn more about this feature, check out the [documentation for custom scripts](../customization/custom-scripts.md).
At its heart, NetBox is a tool for modeling your network infrastructure, and the device object is pivotal to that function. A device can be any piece of physical hardware installed within your network, such as server, router, or switch, and may optionally be mounted within a rack. Within each device, resources such as network interfaces and console ports are modeled as discrete components, which may optionally be grouped into modules.
NetBox uses device types to represent unique real-world device models. This allows a user to define a device type and all its components once, and easily replicate an unlimited number of device instances from it.
A manufacturer generally represents an organization which produces hardware devices. These can be defined by users, however they should represent an actual entity rather than some abstract idea.
## Device Types
A device type represents a unique combination of manufacturer and hardware model which maps to discrete make and model of device which exists in the real world. Each device type typically has a number of components created on it, representing network interfaces, device bays, and so on. New devices of this type can then be created in NetBox, and any associated components will be automatically replicated from the device type. This avoids needing to tediously recreate components for each device as it is added in NetBox.
!!! tip "The Device Type Library"
While users are always free to create their own device types in NetBox, many find it convenient to draw from our [community library](https://github.com/netbox-community/devicetype-library) of pre-defined device types. This is possible because a particular make and model of device is applicable universally and never changes.
All the following can be modeled as components:
* Interfaces
* Console ports
* Console server ports
* Power ports
* Power outlets
* Pass-through ports (front and rear)
* Module bays (which house modules)
* Device bays (which house child devices)
For example, a Juniper EX4300-48T device type might have the following component templates defined:
* One template for a console port ("Console")
* Two templates for power ports ("PSU0" and "PSU1")
* 48 templates for 1GE interfaces ("ge-0/0/0" through "ge-0/0/47")
* Four templates for 10GE interfaces ("xe-0/2/0" through "xe-0/2/3")
Once component templates have been created, every new device that you create as an instance of this type will automatically be assigned each of the components listed above.
!!! note "Component Instantiation is not Retroactive"
The instantiation of components from a device type definition occurs only at the time of device creation. If you modify the components assigned to a device type, it will not affect devices which have already been created. This guards against any inadvertent changes to existing devices. However, you always have the option of adding, modifying, or deleting components on existing devices. (These changes can easily be applied to multiple devices at once using the bulk operations available in the UI.)
## Devices
Whereas a device type defines the make and model of a device, a device itself represents an actual piece of installed hardware somewhere in the real world. A device can be installed at a particular position within an equipment rack, or simply associated with a site (and optionally with a location within that site).
Each device can have an operational status, functional role, and software platform assigned. Device components are instantiated automatically from the assigned device type upon creation.
### Virtual Chassis
Sometimes it is necessary to model a set of physical devices as sharing a single management plane. Perhaps the most common example of such a scenario is stackable switches. These can be modeled as virtual chassis in NetBox, with one device acting as the chassis master and the rest as members. All components of member devices will appear on the master.
## Module Types & Modules
Much like device types and devices, module types can instantiate discrete modules, which are hardware components installed within devices. Modules often have their own child components, which become available to the parent device. For example, when modeling a chassis-based switch with multiple line cards in NetBox, the chassis would be created (from a device type) as a device, and each of its line cards would be instantiated from a module type as a module installed in one of the device's module bays.
!!! tip "Device Bays vs. Module Bays"
What's the difference between device bays and module bays? Device bays are appropriate when the installed hardware has its own management plane, isolated from the parent device. A common example is a blade server chassis in which the blades share power but operate independently. In contrast, a module bay holds a module which does _not_ operate independently of its parent device, as with the chassis switch line card example mentioned above.
One especially nice feature of modules is that templated components can be automatically renamed according to the module bay into which the parent module is installed. For example, if we create a module type with interfaces named `Gi{module}/0/1-48` and install a module of this type into module bay 7 of a device, NetBox will create interfaces named `Gi7/0/1-48`.
## Cables
NetBox models cables as connections among certain types of device components and other objects. Each cable can be assigned a type, color, length, and label. NetBox will enforce basic sanity checks to prevent invalid connections. (For example, a network interface cannot be connected to a power outlet.)
Either end of a cable may terminate to multiple objects of the same type. For example, a network interface can be connected via a fiber optic cable to two discrete ports on a patch panel (each port attaching to an individual fiber strand in the patch cable).
From global regions down to individual equipment racks, NetBox allows you to model your network's entire presence. This is accomplished through the use of several purpose-built models. The graph below illustrates these models and their relationships.
```mermaid
flowchart TD
Region --> Region
SiteGroup --> SiteGroup
Region & SiteGroup --> Site
Site --> Location & Device
Location --> Location
Location --> Rack & Device
Rack --> Device
Site --> Rack
RackRole --> Rack
click Device "../../models/dcim/device/"
click Location "../../models/dcim/location/"
click Rack "../../models/dcim/rack/"
click RackRole "../../models/dcim/rackrole/"
click Region "../../models/dcim/region/"
click Site "../../models/dcim/site/"
click SiteGroup "../../models/dcim/sitegroup/"
```
## Regions
Regions represent geographic domains in which your network or its customers have a presence. These are typically used to model countries, states, and cities, although NetBox does not prescribe any precise uses and your needs may differ.
Regions are self-nesting, so you can define child regions within a parent, and grandchildren within each child. For example, you might create a hierarchy like this:
* Europe
* France
* Germany
* Spain
* North America
* Canada
* United States
* California
* New York
* Texas
Regions will always be listed alphabetically by name within each parent, and there is no maximum depth for the hierarchy.
## Site Groups
Like regions, site groups can be arranged in a recursive hierarchy for grouping sites. However, whereas regions are intended for geographic organization, site groups may be used for functional grouping. For example, you might classify sites as corporate, branch, or customer sites in addition to where they are physically located.
The use of both regions and site groups affords to independent but complementary dimensions across which sites can be organized.
## Sites
A site typically represents a building within a region and/or site group. Each site is assigned an operational status (e.g. active or planned), and can have a discrete mailing address and GPS coordinates assigned to it.
## Locations
A location can be any logical subdivision within a building, such as a floor or room. Like regions and site groups, locations can be nested into a self-recursive hierarchy for maximum flexibility. And like sites, each location has an operational status assigned to it.
## Racks
Finally, NetBox models each equipment rack as a discrete object within a site and location. These are physical objects into which devices are installed. Each rack can be assigned an operational status, type, facility ID, and other attributes related to inventory tracking. Each rack also must define a height (in rack units) and width, and may optionally specify its physical dimensions.
Each rack must be associated to a site, but the assignment to a location within that site is optional. Users can also create custom roles to which racks can be assigned. NetBox supports tracking rack space in half-unit increments, so it's possible to mount devices at e.g. position 2.5 within a rack.
!!! tip "Devices"
You'll notice in the diagram above that a device can be installed within a site, location, or rack. This approach affords plenty of flexibility as not all sites need to define child locations, and not all devices reside in racks.
IP address management (IPAM) is one of NetBox's core features. It supports full parity for IP4 and IPv6, advanced VRF assignment, automatic hierarchy formation, and much more.
## IP Hierarchy
NetBox employs several object types to represent a hierarchy of IP resources:
* **Aggregate** - A prefix which represents the root of an addressing hierarchy. This is typically a large swath of public or private address space allocated for use by your organization. Each aggregate is assigned to an authoritative RIR.
* **Prefix** - A subnet defined within an aggregate. Prefixes extend the hierarchy by nesting within one another. (For example, 192.168.123.0/24 will appear within 192.168.0.0/16.) Each prefix can be assigned a functional role as well as an operational status.
* **IP Range** - An arbitrary range of individual IP addresses within a prefix, all sharing the same mask. Ranges are commonly affiliated with DHCP scopes, but can be used for any similar purpose.
* **IP Address** - An individual IP address along with its subnet mask, automatically arranged beneath its parent prefix.
```mermaid
flowchart TD
RIR --> Aggregate
Aggregate & Role --> Prefix
Prefix --> Prefix
Prefix --> IPRange & IPAddress
click Aggregate "../../models/ipam/aggregate/"
click IPAddress "../../models/ipam/ipaddress/"
click IPRange "../../models/ipam/iprange/"
click Prefix "../../models/ipam/prefix/"
click RIR "../../models/ipam/rir/"
click Role "../../models/ipam/role/"
```
!!! tip "Automatic Hierarchies"
IP objects in NetBox never need to be manually assigned to the parent objects. The construction of hierarchies is handled automatically by the application according to the inherent rules of IP addressing.
An example hierarchy might look like this:
* 100.64.0.0/10 (aggregate)
* 100.64.0.0/20 (prefix)
* 100.64.16.0/20 (prefix)
* 100.64.16.0/24 (prefix)
* 100.64.16.1/24 (address)
* 100.64.16.2/24 (address)
* 100.64.16.3/24 (address)
* 100.64.16.9/24 (prefix)
* 100.64.32.0/20 (prefix)
* 100.64.32.1/24 (address)
* 100.64.32.10-99/24 (range)
## Utilization Stats
The utilization rate for each prefix is calculated automatically depending on its status. _Container_ prefixes are those which house child prefixes; their utilization rate is determined based on how much of their available IP space is consumed by child prefixes. The utilization rate for any other type of prefix is determined by the aggregate usage of any child IP addresses and/or ranges defined.
Similarly, utilization rates for aggregates is determined based on the space consumed by their child prefixes.
## VRF Tracking
NetBox supports the modeling of discrete virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) instances to represent multiple routing tables, including those with overlapping address space. Each type of IP object within an aggregate - prefix, IP range, and IP address - can be assigned to a particular VRF. Consequently, each VRF maintains its own isolated IP hierarchy. This makes it very easy to track overlapping IP space.
VRF modeling in NetBox very closely follows what you find in real-world network configurations, with each VRF assigned a standards-compliant route distinguisher. You can even create route targets to manage the import and export of routing information among VRFs.
!!! tip "Enforcing Unique IP Space"
Each VRF can be independently configured to permit or prohibit duplicate IP objects. For example, a VRF which has been configured to enforce unique IP space will not allow the creation of two 192.0.2.0/24 prefixes. The ability to toggle this restriction per VRF affords the user maximum flexibility in modeling their IP space.
## AS Numbers
An often overlooked component of IPAM, NetBox also tracks autonomous system (AS) numbers and their assignment to sites. Both 16- and 32-bit AS numbers are supported, and like aggregates each ASN is assigned to an authoritative RIR.
## Service Mapping
NetBox models network applications as discrete service objects associated with devices and/or virtual machines, and optionally with specific IP addresses attached to those parent objects. These can be used to catalog the applications running on your network for reference by other objects or integrated tools.
To model services in NetBox, begin by creating a service template defining the name, protocol, and port number(s) on which the service listens. This template can then be easily instantiated to "attach" new services to a device or virtual machine. It's also possible to create new services by hand, without a template, however this approach can be tedious.
L2VPN and overlay networks, such as VXLAN and EVPN, can be defined in NetBox and tied to interfaces and VLANs. This allows for easy tracking of overlay assets and their relationships with underlay resources.
Each L2VPN instance has a type and optional unique identifier. Like VRFs, L2VPNs can also have import and export route targets assigned to them. Terminations can then be created to assign VLANs and/or device and virtual machine interfaces to the overlay.
As part of its DCIM feature set, NetBox supports modeling facility power as discrete power panels and feeds. These are most commonly used to document power distribution within a data center, but can serve more traditional environments as well.
## Power Panels
A power panel is the furthest upstream power element modeled in NetBox. It typically represents a power distribution panel (or breaker panel) where facility power is split into multiple discrete circuits, which are modeled as feeds.
Each power panel is associated with a site, and may optionally be associated with a particular location within that site. There is no limit to how many power feeds a single panel can supply, however both of these object types should map to real-world objects.
## Power Feeds
A power feed represents a discrete power circuit originating from an upstream power panel. Each power feed can be assigned a name, operational status, and various electrical characteristics such as supply (AC or DC), voltage, amperage, and so on.
A device power port can be connected to a power feed via a cable. Only one port can be connected to a feed: Where multiple devices draw power from the same feed, a power distribution unit (PDU) must be modeled as an individual device mapping a power port to multiple power outlets to which the downstream devices can connect (as in the example above).
!!! tip "Primary and Redundant Power"
Each power feed in NetBox is assigned a type: primary or redundant. This allows easily modeling redundant power distribution topologies. In scenarios involving only a single, non-redundant power supply, mark all power feeds as primary.
Most core objects within NetBox's data model support _tenancy_. This is the association of an object with a particular tenant to convey ownership or dependency. For example, an enterprise might represent its internal business units as tenants, whereas a managed services provider might create a tenant in NetBox to represent each of its customers.
Tenants can be grouped by any logic that your use case demands, and groups can be nested recursively for maximum flexibility. For example, You might define a parent "Customers" group with child groups "Current" and "Past" within it. A tenant can be assigned to a group at any level within the hierarchy.
## Tenants
Typically, the tenant model is used to represent a customer or internal organization, however it can be used for whatever purpose meets your needs.
Most core objects within NetBox can be assigned to particular tenant, so this model provides a very convenient way to correlate ownership across object types. For example, each of your customers might have its own racks, devices, IP addresses, circuits and so on: These can all be easily tracked via tenant assignment.
The following objects can be assigned to tenants:
* Sites
* Racks
* Rack reservations
* Devices
* VRFs
* Prefixes
* IP addresses
* VLANs
* Circuits
* Clusters
* Virtual machines
Tenant assignment is used to signify the ownership of an object in NetBox. As such, each object may only be owned by a single tenant. For example, if you have a firewall dedicated to a particular customer, you would assign it to the tenant which represents that customer. However, if the firewall serves multiple customers, it doesn't *belong* to any particular customer, so tenant assignment would not be appropriate.
Virtual machines and clusters can be modeled in NetBox alongside physical infrastructure. IP addresses and other resources are assigned to these objects just like physical objects, providing a seamless integration between physical and virtual networks.
A cluster is one or more physical host devices on which virtual machines can run. Each cluster must have a type and operational status, and may be assigned to a group. (Both types and groups are user-defined.) Each cluster may designate one or more devices as hosts, however this is optional.
## Virtual Machines
A virtual machine is a virtualized compute instance. These behave in NetBox very similarly to device objects, but without any physical attributes. For example, a VM may have interfaces assigned to it with IP addresses and VLANs, however its interfaces cannot be connected via cables (because they are virtual). Each VM may also define its compute, memory, and storage resources as well.
Complementing its IPAM capabilities, NetBox also tracks VLAN information to assist with layer two network configurations. VLANs are defined per IEEE 802.1Q and related standards, and can be assigned to groups and functional roles.
```mermaid
flowchart TD
VLANGroup & Role --> VLAN
click Role "../../models/ipam/role/"
click VLAN "../../models/ipam/vlan/"
click VLANGroup "../../models/ipam/vlangroup/"
```
## VLAN Groups
A VLAN group is a collection of VLANs defined within a particular scope. Each VLAN group can be associated with a particular site, location, rack, or similar object to indicate its domain, and designates a minimum and maximum VLAN ID within the group. (By default, these are the standard minimum and maximum values of 1 and 4094, respectively.)
Within a group, each VLAN must have a unique ID and name. There is no limit to how many groups can be created per scope.
## VLANs
NetBox models VLANs according to their definition under IEEE 802.1Q, with a 12-bit VLAN ID and a name. Each VLAN also has an operational status, and may be assigned a function role, just like prefixes. Each VLAN can be assigned to a VLAN group or site to convey the domain in which the VLAN exists.
Once defined, VLANs can be associated with device and virtual machine interfaces. Each interface can be assigned an 802.1Q mode (access or tagged), and the relevant VLANs can be applied as tagged or untagged.
A wireless LAN is a multi-access network shared by multiple wireless clients, identified by a common service set identifier (SSID) and authentication parameters. Wireless LANs can be organized into self-nesting groups, and each wireless LAN may optionally be bound to a particular VLAN. This allows easily mapping wireless networks to their wired counterparts.
Authentication attributes for wireless LANs include:
* **Type** - Open, WEP, WPA, etc.
* **Cipher** - Auto, TKIP, or AES
* **Pre-shared key (PSK)** - The secret key configured on all participating clients
The definition of authentication parameters is optional.
## Wireless Links
Whereas a wireless LAN represents a physical multi-access segment with any number of clients, a wireless link is a point-to-point connection between exactly two stations. These links behave much like cables, but more accurately model the nature of wireless communications.
Like wireless LANs, wireless links also have an SSID and (optional) authentication attributes.
This guide outlines the steps necessary for planning a successful migration to NetBox. Although it is written under the context of a completely new installation, the general approach outlined here works just as well for adding new data to existing NetBox deployments.
## Identify Current Sources of Truth
Before beginning to use NetBox for your own data, it's crucial to first understand where your existing sources of truth reside. A "source of truth" is really just any repository of data that is authoritative for a given domain. For example, you may have a spreadsheet which tracks all IP prefixes in use on your network. So long as everyone involved agrees that this spreadsheet is _authoritative_ for the entire network, it is your source of truth for IP prefixes.
Anything can be a source of truth, provided it meets two conditions:
1. It is agreed upon by all relevant parties that this source of data is correct.
2. The domain to which it applies is well-defined.
<!-- TODO: Example SoT -->
Dedicate some time to take stock of your own sources of truth for your infrastructure. Upon attempting to catalog these, you're very likely to encounter some challenges, such as:
* **Multiple conflicting sources** for a given domain. For example, there may be multiple versions of a spreadsheet circulating, each of which asserts a conflicting set of data.
* **Sources with no domain defined.** You may encounter that different teams within your organization use different tools for the same purpose, with no normal definition of when either should be used.
* **Inaccessible data formatting.** Some tools are better suited for programmatic usage than others. For example, spreadsheets are generally very easy to parse and export, however free-form notes on wiki or similar application are much more difficult to consume.
* **There is no source of truth.** Sometimes you'll find that a source of truth simply doesn't exist for a domain. For example, when assigning IP addresses, operators may be just using any (presumed) available IP from a subnet without ever recording its usage.
See if you can identify each domain of infrastructure data for your organization, and the source of truth for each. Once you have these compiled, you'll need to determine what belongs in NetBox.
## Determine What to Move
The general rule when determining what data to put into NetBox is this: If there's a model for it, it belongs in NetBox. For instance, NetBox has purpose-built models for racks, devices, cables, IP prefixes, VLANs, and so on. These are very straightforward to use. However, you'll inevitably reach the limits of NetBox's data model and question what additional data might make sense to record in NetBox. For example, you might wonder whether NetBox should function as the source of truth for infrastructure DNS records or DHCP scopes.
NetBox provides two core mechanisms for extending its data model. The first is custom fields: Most models in NetBox support the addition of custom fields to hold additional data for which a built-in field does not exist. For example, you might wish to add an "inventory ID" field to the device model. The second mechanism is plugins. Users can create their own plugins to introduce entirely new models, views, and API endpoints in NetBox. This can be incredibly powerful, as it enables rapid development and tight integration with core models.
That said, it doesn't always make sense to migrate a domain of data to NetBox. For example, many organizations opt to use only the IPAM components or only the DCIM components of NetBox, and integrate with other sources of truth for different domains. This is an entirely valid approach (so long as everyone involved agrees which tool is authoritative for each domain). Ultimately, you'll need to weigh the value of having non-native data models in NetBox against the effort required to define and maintain those models.
Consider also that NetBox is under constant development. Although the current release might not support a particular type of object, there may be plans to add support for it in a future release. (And if there aren't, consider submitting a feature request citing your use case.)
## Validate Existing Data
The last step before migrating data to NetBox is the most crucial: **validation**. The GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) principle is in full effect: Your source of truth is only as good as the data it holds. While NetBox has very powerful data validation tools (including support for custom validation rules), ultimately the onus falls to a human operator to assert what is correct and what is not. For example, NetBox can validate the connection of a cable between two interfaces, but it cannot say whether the cable _should_ be there.
Here are some tips to help ensure you're only importing valid data into NetBox:
* Ensure you're starting with complete, well-formatted data. JSON or CSV is highly recommended for the best portability.
* Consider defining custom validation rules in NetBox prior to import. (For example, to enforce device naming schemes.)
* Use custom scripts to automatically populate patterned data. (For example, to automatically create a set of standard VLANs for each site.)
There are several methods available to import data into NetBox, which we'll cover in the next section.
## Order of Operations
When starting with a completely empty database, it might not be immediately clear where to begin. Many models in NetBox rely on the advance creation of other types. For example, you cannot create a device type until after you have created its manufacturer.
Below is the (rough) recommended order in which NetBox objects should be created or imported. While it is not required to follow this exact order, doing so will help ensure the smoothest workflow.
1. Tenant groups and tenants
2. Regions, site groups, sites, and locations
3. Rack roles and racks
4. Manufacturers, device types, and module types
5. Platforms and device roles
6. Devices and modules
7. Providers and provider networks
8. Circuit types and circuits
9. Wireless LAN groups and wireless LANs
10. Route targets and VRFs
11. RIRs and aggregates
12. IP/VLAN roles
13. Prefixes, IP ranges, and IP addresses
14. VLAN groups and VLANs
15. Cluster types, cluster groups, and clusters
16. Virtual machines and VM interfaces
This is not a comprehensive list, but should suffice for the initial data imports. Beyond these, it the order in which objects are added doesn't have much if any impact.
The graphs below illustrate some of the core dependencies among different models in NetBox for your reference.
!!! note "Self-Nesting Models"
Each model in the graphs below which show a looping arrow pointing back to itself can be nested in a recursive hierarchy. For example, you can have regions representing both countries and cities, with the latter nested underneath the former.
This section covers the mechanisms which are available to populate data in NetBox.
## Manual Object Creation
The simplest and most direct way of populating data in NetBox is to use the object creation forms in the user interface.
!!! warning "Not Ideal for Large Imports"
While convenient and readily accessible to even novice users, creating objects one at a time by manually completing these forms obviously does not scale well. For large imports, you're generally best served by using one of the other methods discussed in this section.
To create a new object in NetBox, find the object type in the navigation menu and click the green "Add" button.
!!! info "Missing Button?"
If you don't see an "add" button for certain object types, it's likely that your account does not have sufficient permission to create these types. Ask your NetBox administrator to grant the required permissions.
Also note that some object types, such as device components, cannot be created directly from the navigation menu. These must be created within the context of a parent object (such as a parent device).
<!-- TODO: Screenshot -->
## Bulk Import (CSV/YAML)
NetBox supports the bulk import of new objects using CSV-formatted data. This method can be ideal for importing spreadsheet data, which is very easy to convert to CSV data. CSV data can be imported either as raw text using the form field, or by uploading a properly formatted CSV file.
When viewing the CSV import form for an object type, you'll notice that the headers for the required columns have been pre-populated. Each form has a table beneath it titled "CSV Field Options," which lists _all_ supported columns for your reference. (Generally, these map to the fields you see in the corresponding creation form for individual objects.)
<!-- TODO: Screenshot -->
Note that some models (namely device types and module types) do not support CSV import. Instead, they accept YAML-formatted data to facilitate the import of both the parent object as well as child components.
## Scripting
Sometimes you'll find that data you need to populate in NetBox can be easily reduced to a pattern. For example, suppose you have one hundred branch sites and each site gets five VLANs, numbered 101 through 105. While it's certainly possible to explicitly define each of these 500 VLANs in a CSV file for import, it may be quicker to draft a simple custom script to automatically create these VLANs according to the pattern. This ensures a high degree of confidence in the validity of the data, since it's impossible for a script to "miss" a VLAN here or there.
!!! tip "Reconstruct Existing Data with Scripts"
Sometimes, you might want to write a script to populate objects even if you have the necessary data ready for import. This is because using a script eliminates the need to manually verify existing data prior to import.
## REST API
You can also use the REST API to facilitate the population of data in NetBox. The REST API offers full programmatic control over the creation of objects, subject to the same validation rules enforced by the UI forms. Additionally, the REST API supports the bulk creation of multiple objects using a single request.
For more information about this option, see the [REST API documentation](../integrations/rest-api.md).
NetBox is an infrastructure resource modeling (IRM) application designed to empower network automation. Initially conceived by the network engineering team at [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/), NetBox was developed specifically to address the needs of network and infrastructure engineers. NetBox is made available as open source under the Apache 2 license. It encompasses the following aspects of network management:
NetBox is the leading solution for modeling and documenting modern networks. By combining the traditional disciplines of IP address management (IPAM) and datacenter infrastructure management (DCIM) with powerful APIs and extensions, NetBox provides the ideal "source of truth" to power network automation. Read on to discover why thousands of organizations worldwide put NetBox at the heart of their infrastructure.
* **IP address management (IPAM)** - IP networks and addresses, VRFs, and VLANs
* **Equipment racks** - Organized by group and site
* **Devices** - Types of devices and where they are installed
* **Connections** - Network, console, and power connections among devices
* **Virtualization** - Virtual machines and clusters
* **Data circuits** - Long-haul communications circuits and providers
* **Secrets** - Encrypted storage of sensitive credentials
While NetBox strives to cover many areas of network management, the scope of its feature set is necessarily limited. This ensures that development focuses on corefunctionality and that scope creep is reasonably contained. To that end, it might help to provide some examples of functionality that NetBox **does not** provide:
Unlike general-purpose CMDBs, NetBox has curated a data model which caters specifically to the needs of network engineers and operators. It delivers a wide assortment of object types carefully crafted to best serve the needs of infrastructure design and documentation. These cover all facets of network technology, from IP address managements to cabling to overlays and more:
*Network monitoring
*DNS server
*RADIUS server
*Configuration management
*Facilities management
*Hierarchical regions, sites, and locations
*Racks, devices, and device components
*Cables and wireless connections
*Power distribution tracking
*Data circuits and providers
* Virtual machines and clusters
* IP prefixes, ranges, and addresses
* VRFs and route targets
* FHRP groups (VRRP, HSRP, etc.)
* AS numbers
* VLANs and scoped VLAN groups
* L2VPN overlays
* Tenancy assignments
* Contact management
That said, NetBox _can_ be used to great effect in populating external tools with the data they need to perform these functions.
In addition to its expansive and robust data model, NetBox offers myriad mechanisms through which it can be customized and extended. Its powerful plugins architecture enables users to extend the application to meet their needs with minimal development effort.
NetBox was designed with the following tenets foremost in mind.
* Custom fields
* Custom model validation
* Export templates
* Webhooks
* Plugins
* REST & GraphQL APIs
### Replicate the Real World
## :material-lock-open: Always Open
Careful consideration has been given to the data model to ensure that it can accurately reflect a real-world network. For instance, IP addresses are assigned not to devices, but to specific interfaces attached to a device, and an interface may have multiple IP addresses assigned to it.
Because NetBox is an open source application licensed under [Apache 2](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html), its entire code base is completely accessible to the end user, and there's never a risk of vendor lock-in. Additionally, NetBox development is an entirely public, community-driven process to which everyone can provide input.
### Serve as a "Source of Truth"
!!! tip "NetBox Development"
Interested in contributing to NetBox? Check out our [GitHub repository](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox) to get started!
NetBox intends to represent the _desired_ state of a network versus its _operational_ state. As such, automated import of live network state is strongly discouraged. All data created in NetBox should first be vetted by a human to ensure its integrity. NetBox can then be used to populate monitoring and provisioning systems with a high degree of confidence.
## :material-language-python: Powered by Python
### Keep it Simple
NetBox is built on the enormously popular [Django](http://www.djangoproject.com/) framework for the Python programming language, already a favorite among network engineers. Users can leverage their existing skills coding Python tools to extend NetBox's already vast functionality via custom scripts and plugins.
When given a choice between a relatively simple [80% solution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle) and a much more complex complete solution, the former will typically be favored. This ensures a lean codebase with a low learning curve.
## :material-flag: Getting Started
## Application Stack
NetBox is built on the [Django](https://djangoproject.com/) Python framework and utilizes a [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/) database. It runs as a WSGI service behind your choice of HTTP server.
| Function | Component |
|--------------------|-------------------|
| HTTP service | nginx or Apache |
| WSGI service | gunicorn or uWSGI |
| Application | Django/Python |
| Database | PostgreSQL 9.6+ |
| Task queuing | Redis/django-rq |
| Live device access | NAPALM |
## Supported Python Versions
NetBox supports Python 3.7, 3.8, and 3.9 environments currently. (Support for Python 3.6 was removed in NetBox v3.0.)
## Getting Started
See the [installation guide](installation/index.md) for help getting NetBox up and running quickly.
* Try out our [public demo](https://demo.netbox.dev/) if you want to jump right in
* The [installation guide](./installation/index.md) will help you get your own deployment up and running
* Or try the community [Docker image](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox-docker) for a low-touch approach
* [NetBox Cloud](https://www.getnetbox.io/) is a hosted solution offered by NS1
This section entails the installation and configuration of a local PostgreSQL database. If you already have a PostgreSQL database service in place, skip to [the next section](2-redis.md).
!!! warning
NetBox requires PostgreSQL 9.6 or higher. Please note that MySQL and other relational databases are **not** currently supported.
!!! warning "PostgreSQL 10 or later required"
NetBox requires PostgreSQL 10 or later. Please note that MySQL and other relational databases are **not** supported.
## Installation
@@ -21,9 +21,6 @@ This section entails the installation and configuration of a local PostgreSQL da
sudo postgresql-setup --initdb
```
!!! info
PostgreSQL 9.6 and later are available natively on CentOS 8.2. If using an earlier CentOS release, you may need to [install it from an RPM](https://download.postgresql.org/pub/repos/yum/reporpms/EL-7-x86_64/).
CentOS configures ident host-based authentication for PostgreSQL by default. Because NetBox will need to authenticate using a username and password, modify `/var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf` to support MD5 authentication by changing `ident` to `md5` for the lines below:
Before continuing, verify that you have installed PostgreSQL 10 or later:
```no-highlight
psql -V
```
## Database Creation
At a minimum, we need to create a database for NetBox and assign it a username and password for authentication. Start by invoking the PostgreSQL shell as the system Postgres user.
@@ -54,7 +57,7 @@ CREATE USER netbox WITH PASSWORD 'J5brHrAXFLQSif0K';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE netbox TO netbox;
```
!!! danger
!!! danger "Use a strong password"
**Do not use the password from the example.** Choose a strong, random password to ensure secure database authentication for your NetBox installation.
Once complete, enter `\q` to exit the PostgreSQL shell.
[Redis](https://redis.io/) is an in-memory key-value store which NetBox employs for caching and queuing. This section entails the installation and configuration of a local Redis instance. If you already have a Redis service in place, skip to [the next section](3-netbox.md).
!!! note
!!! warning "Redis v4.0 or later required"
NetBox v2.9.0 and later require Redis v4.0 or higher. If your distribution does not offer a recent enough release, you will need to build Redis from source. Please see [the Redis installation documentation](https://github.com/redis/redis) for further details.
=== "Ubuntu"
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@
sudo systemctl enable redis
```
Before continuing, verify that your installed version of Redis is at least v4.0:
```no-highlight
redis-server -v
```
You may wish to modify the Redis configuration at `/etc/redis.conf` or `/etc/redis/redis.conf`, however in most cases the default configuration is sufficient.
The `git clone` command above utilizes a "shallow clone" to retrieve only the most recent commit. If you need to download the entire history, omit the `--depth 1` argument.
The `git clone` command should generate output similar to the following:
Installation via git also allows you to easily try out development versions of NetBox. The `develop` branch contains all work underway for the next minor release, and the `feature` branch tracks progress on the next major release.
Installation via git also allows you to easily try out different versions of NetBox. To check out a [specific NetBox release](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/releases), use the `git checkout` command with the desired release tag. For example, `git checkout v3.0.8`.
## Create the NetBox System User
@@ -109,11 +112,11 @@ Create a system user account named `netbox`. We'll configure the WSGI and HTTP s
## Configuration
Move into the NetBox configuration directory and make a copy of `configuration.example.py` named `configuration.py`. This file will hold all of your local configuration parameters.
Move into the NetBox configuration directory and make a copy of `configuration_example.py` named `configuration.py`. This file will hold all of your local configuration parameters.
```no-highlight
cd /opt/netbox/netbox/netbox/
sudo cp configuration.example.py configuration.py
sudo cp configuration_example.py configuration.py
```
Open `configuration.py` with your preferred editor to begin configuring NetBox. NetBox offers [many configuration parameters](../configuration/index.md), but only the following four are required for new installations:
@@ -139,7 +142,7 @@ ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*']
### DATABASE
This parameter holds the database configuration details. You must define the username and password used when you configured PostgreSQL. If the service is running on a remote host, update the `HOST` and `PORT` parameters accordingly. See the [configuration documentation](../configuration/required-settings.md#database) for more detail on individual parameters.
This parameter holds the database configuration details. You must define the username and password used when you configured PostgreSQL. If the service is running on a remote host, update the `HOST` and `PORT` parameters accordingly. See the [configuration documentation](../configuration/required-parameters.md#database) for more detail on individual parameters.
```python
DATABASE = {
@@ -154,7 +157,7 @@ DATABASE = {
### REDIS
Redis is a in-memory key-value store used by NetBox for caching and background task queuing. Redis typically requires minimal configuration; the values below should suffice for most installations. See the [configuration documentation](../configuration/required-settings.md#redis) for more detail on individual parameters.
Redis is a in-memory key-value store used by NetBox for caching and background task queuing. Redis typically requires minimal configuration; the values below should suffice for most installations. See the [configuration documentation](../configuration/required-parameters.md#redis) for more detail on individual parameters.
Note that NetBox requires the specification of two separate Redis databases: `tasks` and `caching`. These may both be provided by the same Redis service, however each should have a unique numeric database ID.
@@ -187,7 +190,7 @@ A simple Python script named `generate_secret_key.py` is provided in the parent
python3 ../generate_secret_key.py
```
!!! warning
!!! warning "SECRET_KEY values must match"
In the case of a highly available installation with multiple web servers, `SECRET_KEY` must be identical among all servers in order to maintain a persistent user session state.
When you have finished modifying the configuration, remember to save the file.
@@ -198,7 +201,7 @@ All Python packages required by NetBox are listed in `requirements.txt` and will
### NAPALM
Integration with the [NAPALM automation](../additional-features/napalm.md) library allows NetBox to fetch live data from devices and return it to a requester via its REST API. The `NAPALM_USERNAME` and `NAPALM_PASSWORD` configuration parameters define the credentials to be used when connecting to a device.
Integration with the [NAPALM automation](../integrations/napalm.md) library allows NetBox to fetch live data from devices and return it to a requester via its REST API. The `NAPALM_USERNAME` and `NAPALM_PASSWORD` configuration parameters define the credentials to be used when connecting to a device.
```no-highlight
sudo sh -c "echo 'napalm' >> /opt/netbox/local_requirements.txt"
By default, NetBox will use the local filesystem to store uploaded files. To use a remote filesystem, install the [`django-storages`](https://django-storages.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) library and configure your [desired storage backend](../configuration/optional-settings.md#storage_backend) in `configuration.py`.
By default, NetBox will use the local filesystem to store uploaded files. To use a remote filesystem, install the [`django-storages`](https://django-storages.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) library and configure your [desired storage backend](../configuration/system.md#storage_backend) in `configuration.py`.
```no-highlight
sudo sh -c "echo 'django-storages' >> /opt/netbox/local_requirements.txt"
@@ -226,10 +229,10 @@ Once NetBox has been configured, we're ready to proceed with the actual installa
sudo /opt/netbox/upgrade.sh
```
Note that **Python 3.7 or later is required** for NetBox v3.0 and later releases. If the default Python installation on your server does not meet this requirement, you'll need to install Python 3.7 or later separately, and pass the path to the support installation as an environment variable named `PYTHON`. (Note that the environment variable must be passed _after_ the `sudo` command.)
Note that **Python 3.8 or later is required** for NetBox v3.2 and later releases. If the default Python installation on your server is set to a lesser version, pass the path to the supported installation as an environment variable named `PYTHON`. (Note that the environment variable must be passed _after_ the `sudo` command.)
NetBox includes a `housekeeping` management command that handles some recurring cleanup tasks, such as clearing out old sessions and expired change records. Although this command may be run manually, it is recommended to configure a scheduled job using the system's `cron` daemon or a similar utility.
A shell script which invokes this command is included at `contrib/netbox-housekeeping.sh`. It can be copied to your system's daily cron task directory, or included within the crontab directly. (If installing NetBox into a nonstandard path, be sure to update the system paths within this script first.)
A shell script which invokes this command is included at `contrib/netbox-housekeeping.sh`. It can be copied to or linked from your system's daily cron task directory, or included within the crontab directly. (If installing NetBox into a nonstandard path, be sure to update the system paths within this script first.)
See the [housekeeping documentation](../administration/housekeeping.md) for further details.
@@ -294,7 +297,7 @@ Next, connect to the name or IP of the server (as defined in `ALLOWED_HOSTS`) on
firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-port=8000/tcp
```
!!! danger
!!! danger "Not for production use"
The development server is for development and testing purposes only. It is neither performant nor secure enough for production use. **Do not use it in production.**
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ While the provided configuration should suffice for most initial installations,
## systemd Setup
We'll use systemd to control both gunicorn and NetBox's background worker process. First, copy `contrib/netbox.service` and `contrib/netbox-rq.service` to the `/etc/systemd/system/` directory and reload the systemd dameon:
We'll use systemd to control both gunicorn and NetBox's background worker process. First, copy `contrib/netbox.service` and `contrib/netbox-rq.service` to the `/etc/systemd/system/` directory and reload the systemd daemon:
`systemctl restart netbox` restarts the NetBox service, and initiates any changes made to `ldap_config.py`. If there are syntax errors present, the NetBox process will not spawn an instance, and errors should be logged to `/var/log/messages`.
For troubleshooting LDAP user/group queries, add or merge the following [logging](../configuration/optional-settings.md#logging) configuration to `configuration.py`:
For troubleshooting LDAP user/group queries, add or merge the following [logging](../configuration/system.md#logging) configuration to `configuration.py`:
The installation instructions provided here have been tested to work on Ubuntu 20.04 and CentOS 8.2. The particular commands needed to install dependencies on other distributions may vary significantly. Unfortunately, this is outside the control of the NetBox maintainers. Please consult your distribution's documentation for assistance with any errors.
The installation instructions provided here have been tested to work on Ubuntu 20.04 and CentOS 8.3. The particular commands needed to install dependencies on other distributions may vary significantly. Unfortunately, this is outside the control of the NetBox maintainers. Please consult your distribution's documentation for assistance with any errors.
This document contains instructions for migrating from a legacy NetBox deployment using [supervisor](http://supervisord.org/) to a systemd-based approach.
## Ubuntu
### Uninstall supervisord
```no-highlight
# apt-get remove -y supervisor
```
### Configure systemd
!!! note
These instructions assume the presence of a Python virtual environment at `/opt/netbox/venv`. If you have not created this environment, please refer to the [installation instructions](3-netbox.md#set-up-python-environment) for direction.
We'll use systemd to control the daemonization of NetBox services. First, copy `contrib/netbox.service` and `contrib/netbox-rq.service` to the `/etc/systemd/system/` directory:
```no-highlight
# cp contrib/*.service /etc/systemd/system/
```
!!! note
You may need to modify the user that the systemd service runs as. Please verify the user for httpd on your specific release and edit both files to match your httpd service under user and group. The username could be "nobody", "nginx", "apache", "www-data", or something else.
Then, start the `netbox` and `netbox-rq` services and enable them to initiate at boot time:
```no-highlight
# systemctl daemon-reload
# systemctl start netbox netbox-rq
# systemctl enable netbox netbox-rq
```
You can use the command `systemctl status netbox` to verify that the WSGI service is running:
At this point, you should be able to connect to the HTTP service at the server name or IP address you provided. If you are unable to connect, check that the nginx service is running and properly configured. If you receive a 502 (bad gateway) error, this indicates that gunicorn is misconfigured or not running. Issue the command `journalctl -xe` to see why the services were unable to start.
!!! info
Please keep in mind that the configurations provided here are bare minimums required to get NetBox up and running. You may want to make adjustments to better suit your production environment.
Upgrading NetBox to a new version is pretty simple, however users are cautioned to always review the release notes and save a backup of their current deployment prior to beginning an upgrade.
NetBox can generally be upgraded directly to any newer release with no interim steps, with the one exception being incrementing major versions. This can be done only from the most recent _minor_ release of the major version. For example, NetBox v2.11.8 can be upgraded to version 3.3.2 following the steps below. However, a deployment of NetBox v2.10.10 or earlier must first be upgraded to any v2.11 release, and then to any v3.x release. (This is to accommodate the consolidation of database schema migrations effected by a major version change).
Always be sure to save a backup of your current NetBox deployment prior to starting the upgrade process.
## 1. Review the Release Notes
Prior to upgrading your NetBox instance, be sure to carefully review all [release notes](../release-notes/index.md) that have been published since your current version was released. Although the upgrade process typically does not involve additional work, certain releases may introduce breaking or backward-incompatible changes. These are called out in the release notes under the release in which the change went into effect.
## Update Dependencies to Required Versions
## 2. Update Dependencies to Required Versions
NetBox v3.0 and later requires the following:
NetBox v3.0 and later require the following:
| Dependency | Minimum Version |
|------------|-----------------|
| Python | 3.7 |
| PostgreSQL | 9.6 |
| Python | 3.8 |
| PostgreSQL | 10 |
| Redis | 4.0 |
## Install the Latest Release
## 3. Install the Latest Release
As with the initial installation, you can upgrade NetBox by either downloading the latest release package or by cloning the `master` branch of the git repository.
!!! warning
Use the same method as you used to install Netbox originally
If you are not sure how Netbox was installed originally, check with this
command:
```
ls -ld /opt/netbox /opt/netbox/.git
```
If Netbox was installed from a release package, then `/opt/netbox` will be a
symlink pointing to the current version, and `/opt/netbox/.git` will not
exist. If it was installed from git, then `/opt/netbox` and
`/opt/netbox/.git` will both exist as normal directories.
### Option A: Download a Release
Download the [latest stable release](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/releases) from GitHub as a tarball or ZIP archive. Extract it to your desired path. In this example, we'll use `/opt/netbox`.
@@ -67,7 +91,12 @@ sudo git checkout master
sudo git pull origin master
```
## Run the Upgrade Script
!!! info "Checking out an older release"
If you need to upgrade to an older version rather than the current stable release, you can check out any valid [git tag](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/tags), each of which represents a release. For example, to checkout the code for NetBox v2.11.11, do:
sudo git checkout v2.11.11
## 4. Run the Upgrade Script
Once the new code is in place, verify that any optional Python packages required by your deployment (e.g. `napalm` or `django-auth-ldap`) are listed in `local_requirements.txt`. Then, run the upgrade script:
@@ -76,10 +105,10 @@ sudo ./upgrade.sh
```
!!! warning
If the default version of Python is not at least 3.7, you'll need to pass the path to a supported Python version as an environment variable when calling the upgrade script. For example:
If the default version of Python is not at least 3.8, you'll need to pass the path to a supported Python version as an environment variable when calling the upgrade script. For example:
```no-highlight
sudo PYTHON=/usr/bin/python3.7 ./upgrade.sh
sudo PYTHON=/usr/bin/python3.8 ./upgrade.sh
```
This script performs the following actions:
@@ -98,7 +127,7 @@ This script performs the following actions:
been made to your local codebase and should be investigated. Never attempt to create new migrations unless you are
intentionally modifying the database schema.
## Restart the NetBox Services
## 5. Restart the NetBox Services
!!! warning
If you are upgrading from an installation that does not use a Python virtual environment (any release prior to v2.7.9), you'll need to update the systemd service files to reference the new Python and gunicorn executables before restarting the services. These are located in `/opt/netbox/venv/bin/`. See the example service files in `/opt/netbox/contrib/` for reference.
@@ -109,12 +138,12 @@ Finally, restart the gunicorn and RQ services:
sudo systemctl restart netbox netbox-rq
```
## Verify Housekeeping Scheduling
## 6. Verify Housekeeping Scheduling
If upgrading from a release prior to NetBox v3.0, check that a cron task (or similar scheduled process) has been configured to run NetBox's nightly housekeeping command. A shell script which invokes this command is included at `contrib/netbox-housekeeping.sh`. It can be copied to your system's daily cron task directory, or included within the crontab directly. (If NetBox has been installed in a nonstandard path, be sure to update the system paths within this script first.)
If upgrading from a release prior to NetBox v3.0, check that a cron task (or similar scheduled process) has been configured to run NetBox's nightly housekeeping command. A shell script which invokes this command is included at `contrib/netbox-housekeeping.sh`. It can be linked from your system's daily cron task directory, or included within the crontab directly. (If NetBox has been installed in a nonstandard path, be sure to update the system paths within this script first.)
The response will include the requested data formatted as JSON:
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ NetBox provides both a singular and plural query field for each object type:
* `$OBJECT`: Returns a single object. Must specify the object's unique ID as `(id: 123)`.
* `$OBJECT_list`: Returns a list of objects, optionally filtered by given parameters.
For example, query `device(id:123)` to fetch a specific device (identified by its unique ID), and query `device_list` (with an optional set of fitlers) to fetch all devices.
For example, query `device(id:123)` to fetch a specific device (identified by its unique ID), and query `device_list` (with an optional set of filters) to fetch all devices.
For more detail on constructing GraphQL queries, see the [Graphene documentation](https://docs.graphene-python.org/en/latest/).
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ For more detail on constructing GraphQL queries, see the [Graphene documentation
The GraphQL API employs the same filtering logic as the UI and REST API. Filters can be specified as key-value pairs within parentheses immediately following the query name. For example, the following will return only sites within the North Carolina region with a status of active:
If not needed, the GraphQL API can be disabled by setting the [`GRAPHQL_ENABLED`](../configuration/optional-settings.md#graphql_enabled) configuration parameter to False and restarting NetBox.
If not needed, the GraphQL API can be disabled by setting the [`GRAPHQL_ENABLED`](../configuration/miscellaneous.md#graphql_enabled) configuration parameter to False and restarting NetBox.
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ GET /api/dcim/devices/1/napalm/?method=get_environment
## Authentication
By default, the [`NAPALM_USERNAME`](../configuration/optional-settings.md#napalm_username) and [`NAPALM_PASSWORD`](../configuration/optional-settings.md#napalm_password) configuration parameters are used for NAPALM authentication. They can be overridden for an individual API call by specifying the `X-NAPALM-Username` and `X-NAPALM-Password` headers.
By default, the [`NAPALM_USERNAME`](../configuration/napalm.md#napalm_username) and [`NAPALM_PASSWORD`](../configuration/napalm.md#napalm_password) configuration parameters are used for NAPALM authentication. They can be overridden for an individual API call by specifying the `X-NAPALM-Username` and `X-NAPALM-Password` headers.
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@ For the exhaustive list of exposed metrics, visit the `/metrics` endpoint on you
When deploying NetBox in a multiprocess manner (e.g. running multiple Gunicorn workers) the Prometheus client library requires the use of a shared directory to collect metrics from all worker processes. To configure this, first create or designate a local directory to which the worker processes have read and write access, and then configure your WSGI service (e.g. Gunicorn) to define this path as the `prometheus_multiproc_dir` environment variable.
!!! warning
If having accurate long-term metrics in a multiprocess environment is crucial to your deployment, it's recommended you use the `uwsgi` library instead of `gunicorn`. The issue lies in the way `gunicorn` tracks worker processes (vs `uwsgi`) which helps manage the metrics files created by the above configurations. If you're using NetBox with gunicorn in a containerized enviroment following the one-process-per-container methodology, then you will likely not need to change to `uwsgi`. More details can be found in [issue #3779](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/issues/3779#issuecomment-590547562).
If having accurate long-term metrics in a multiprocess environment is crucial to your deployment, it's recommended you use the `uwsgi` library instead of `gunicorn`. The issue lies in the way `gunicorn` tracks worker processes (vs `uwsgi`) which helps manage the metrics files created by the above configurations. If you're using NetBox with gunicorn in a containerized environment following the one-process-per-container methodology, then you will likely not need to change to `uwsgi`. More details can be found in [issue #3779](https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/issues/3779#issuecomment-590547562).
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ Lists of objects can be filtered using a set of query parameters. For example, t
GET /api/dcim/interfaces/?device_id=123
```
See the [filtering documentation](filtering.md) for more details.
See the [filtering documentation](../reference/filtering.md) for more details.
## Serialization
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ The brief format is supported for both lists and individual objects.
### Excluding Config Contexts
When retrieving devices and virtual machines via the REST API, each will included its rendered [configuration context data](../models/extras/configcontext.md) by default. Users with large amounts of context data will likely observe suboptimal performance when returning multiple objects, particularly with very high page sizes. To combat this, context data may be excluded from the response data by attaching the query parameter `?exclude=config_context` to the request. This parameter works for both list and detail views.
When retrieving devices and virtual machines via the REST API, each will include its rendered [configuration context data](../features/context-data.md) by default. Users with large amounts of context data will likely observe suboptimal performance when returning multiple objects, particularly with very high page sizes. To combat this, context data may be excluded from the response data by attaching the query parameter `?exclude=config_context` to the request. This parameter works for both list and detail views.
## Pagination
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ Vary: Accept
}
```
The default page is determined by the [`PAGINATE_COUNT`](../configuration/optional-settings.md#paginate_count) configuration parameter, which defaults to 50. However, this can be overridden per request by specifying the desired `offset` and `limit` query parameters. For example, if you wish to retrieve a hundred devices at a time, you would make a request for:
The default page is determined by the [`PAGINATE_COUNT`](../configuration/default-values.md#paginate_count) configuration parameter, which defaults to 50. However, this can be overridden per request by specifying the desired `offset` and `limit` query parameters. For example, if you wish to retrieve a hundred devices at a time, you would make a request for:
```
http://netbox/api/dcim/devices/?limit=100
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ The response will return devices 1 through 100. The URL provided in the `next` a
}
```
The maximum number of objects that can be returned is limited by the [`MAX_PAGE_SIZE`](../configuration/optional-settings.md#max_page_size) configuration parameter, which is 1000 by default. Setting this to `0` or `None` will remove the maximum limit. An API consumer can then pass `?limit=0` to retrieve _all_ matching objects with a single request.
The maximum number of objects that can be returned is limited by the [`MAX_PAGE_SIZE`](../configuration/miscellaneous.md#max_page_size) configuration parameter, which is 1000 by default. Setting this to `0` or `None` will remove the maximum limit. An API consumer can then pass `?limit=0` to retrieve _all_ matching objects with a single request.
!!! warning
Disabling the page size limit introduces a potential for very resource-intensive requests, since one API request can effectively retrieve an entire table from the database.
To create a new object, make a `POST` request to the model's _list_ endpoint with JSON data pertaining to the object being created. Note that a REST API token is required for all write operations; see the [authentication documentation](authentication.md) for more information. Also be sure to set the `Content-Type` HTTP header to `application/json`.
To create a new object, make a `POST` request to the model's _list_ endpoint with JSON data pertaining to the object being created. Note that a REST API token is required for all write operations; see the [authentication section](#authenticating-to-the-api) for more information. Also be sure to set the `Content-Type` HTTP header to `application/json`.
The bulk deletion of objects is an all-or-none operation, meaning that if NetBox fails to delete any of the specified objects (e.g. due a dependency by a related object), the entire operation will be aborted and none of the objects will be deleted.
## Authentication
The NetBox REST API primarily employs token-based authentication. For convenience, cookie-based authentication can also be used when navigating the browsable API.
### Tokens
A token is a unique identifier mapped to a NetBox user account. Each user may have one or more tokens which he or she can use for authentication when making REST API requests. To create a token, navigate to the API tokens page under your user profile.
!!! note
All users can create and manage REST API tokens under the user control panel in the UI. The ability to view, add, change, or delete tokens via the REST API itself is controlled by the relevant model permissions, assigned to users and/or groups in the admin UI. These permissions should be used with great care to avoid accidentally permitting a user to create tokens for other user accounts.
Each token contains a 160-bit key represented as 40 hexadecimal characters. When creating a token, you'll typically leave the key field blank so that a random key will be automatically generated. However, NetBox allows you to specify a key in case you need to restore a previously deleted token to operation.
By default, a token can be used to perform all actions via the API that a user would be permitted to do via the web UI. Deselecting the "write enabled" option will restrict API requests made with the token to read operations (e.g. GET) only.
Additionally, a token can be set to expire at a specific time. This can be useful if an external client needs to be granted temporary access to NetBox.
#### Client IP Restriction
!!! note
This feature was introduced in NetBox v3.3.
Each API token can optionally be restricted by client IP address. If one or more allowed IP prefixes/addresses is defined for a token, authentication will fail for any client connecting from an IP address outside the defined range(s). This enables restricting the use a token to a specific client. (By default, any client IP address is permitted.)
### Authenticating to the API
An authentication token is attached to a request by setting the `Authorization` header to the string `Token` followed by a space and the user's token:
```
$ curl -H "Authorization: Token $TOKEN" \
-H "Accept: application/json; indent=4" \
https://netbox/api/dcim/sites/
{
"count": 10,
"next": null,
"previous": null,
"results": [...]
}
```
A token is not required for read-only operations which have been exempted from permissions enforcement (using the [`EXEMPT_VIEW_PERMISSIONS`](../configuration/security.md#exempt_view_permissions) configuration parameter). However, if a token _is_ required but not present in a request, the API will return a 403 (Forbidden) response:
```
$ curl https://netbox/api/dcim/sites/
{
"detail": "Authentication credentials were not provided."
}
```
When a token is used to authenticate a request, its `last_updated` time updated to the current time if its last use was recorded more than 60 seconds ago (or was never recorded). This allows users to determine which tokens have been active recently.
!!! note
The "last used" time for tokens will not be updated while maintenance mode is enabled.
### Initial Token Provisioning
Ideally, each user should provision his or her own REST API token(s) via the web UI. However, you may encounter where a token must be created by a user via the REST API itself. NetBox provides a special endpoint to provision tokens using a valid username and password combination.
To provision a token via the REST API, make a `POST` request to the `/api/users/tokens/provision/` endpoint:
```
$ curl -X POST \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json; indent=4" \
https://netbox/api/users/tokens/provision/ \
--data '{
"username": "hankhill",
"password": "I<3C3H8",
}'
```
Note that we are _not_ passing an existing REST API token with this request. If the supplied credentials are valid, a new REST API token will be automatically created for the user. Note that the key will be automatically generated, and write ability will be enabled.
A webhook is a mechanism for conveying to some external system a change that took place in NetBox. For example, you may want to notify a monitoring system whenever the status of a device is updated in NetBox. This can be done by creating a webhook for the device model in NetBox and identifying the webhook receiver. When NetBox detects a change to a device, an HTTP request containing the details of the change and who made it be sent to the specified receiver. Webhooks are managed under Logging > Webhooks.
NetBox can be configured to transmit outgoing webhooks to remote systems in response to internal object changes. The receiver can act on the data in these webhook messages to perform related tasks.
!!! warning
Webhooks support the inclusion of user-submitted code to generate custom headers and payloads, which may pose security risks under certain conditions. Only grant permission to create or modify webhooks to trusted users.
For example, suppose you want to automatically configure a monitoring system to start monitoring a device when its operational status is changed to active, and remove it from monitoring for any other status. You can create a webhook in NetBox for the device model and craft its content and destination URL to effect the desired change on the receiving system. Webhooks will be sent automatically by NetBox whenever the configured constraints are met.
## Configuration
Each webhook must be associated with at least one NetBox object type and at least one event (create, update, or delete). Users can specify the receiver URL, HTTP request type (`GET`, `POST`, etc.), content type, and headers. A request body can also be specified; if left blank, this will default to a serialized representation of the affected object.
* **Name** - A unique name for the webhook. The name is not included with outbound messages.
* **Object type(s)** - The type or types of NetBox object that will trigger the webhook.
* **Enabled** - If unchecked, the webhook will be inactive.
* **Events** - A webhook may trigger on any combination of create, update, and delete events. At least one event type must be selected.
* **HTTP method** - The type of HTTP request to send. Options include `GET`, `POST`, `PUT`, `PATCH`, and `DELETE`.
* **URL** - The fuly-qualified URL of the request to be sent. This may specify a destination port number if needed.
* **HTTP content type** - The value of the request's `Content-Type` header. (Defaults to `application/json`)
* **Additional headers** - Any additional headers to include with the request (optional). Add one header per line in the format `Name: Value`. Jinja2 templating is supported for this field (see below).
* **Body template** - The content of the request being sent (optional). Jinja2 templating is supported for this field (see below). If blank, NetBox will populate the request body with a raw dump of the webhook context. (If the HTTP cotent type is set to `application/json`, this will be formatted as a JSON object.)
* **Secret** - A secret string used to prove authenticity of the request (optional). This will append a `X-Hook-Signature` header to the request, consisting of a HMAC (SHA-512) hex digest of the request body using the secret as the key.
* **SSL verification** - Uncheck this option to disable validation of the receiver's SSL certificate. (Disable with caution!)
* **CA file path** - The file path to a particular certificate authority (CA) file to use when validating the receiver's SSL certificate (optional).
!!! warning "Security Notice"
Webhooks support the inclusion of user-submitted code to generate the URL, custom headers, and payloads, which may pose security risks under certain conditions. Only grant permission to create or modify webhooks to trusted users.
## Jinja2 Template Support
[Jinja2 templating](https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/) is supported for the `additional_headers` and `body_template` fields. This enables the user to convey object data in the request headers as well as to craft a customized request body. Request content can be crafted to enable the direct interaction with external systems by ensuring the outgoing message is in a format the receiver expects and understands.
[Jinja2 templating](https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/) is supported for the `URL`, `additional_headers` and `body_template` fields. This enables the user to convey object data in the request headers as well as to craft a customized request body. Request content can be crafted to enable the direct interaction with external systems by ensuring the outgoing message is in a format the receiver expects and understands.
For example, you might create a NetBox webhook to [trigger a Slack message](https://api.slack.com/messaging/webhooks) any time an IP address is created. You can accomplish this using the following configuration:
@@ -42,13 +31,13 @@ The following data is available as context for Jinja2 templates:
* `username` - The name of the user account associated with the change.
* `request_id` - The unique request ID. This may be used to correlate multiple changes associated with a single request.
* `data` - A detailed representation of the object in its current state. This is typically equivalent to the model's representation in NetBox's REST API.
* `snapshots` - Minimal "snapshots" of the object state both before and after the change was made; provided ass a dictionary with keys named `prechange` and `postchange`. These are not as extensive as the fully serialized representation, but contain enough information to convey what has changed.
* `snapshots` - Minimal "snapshots" of the object state both before and after the change was made; provided as a dictionary with keys named `prechange` and `postchange`. These are not as extensive as the fully serialized representation, but contain enough information to convey what has changed.
### Default Request Body
If no body template is specified, the request body will be populated with a JSON object containing the context data. For example, a newly created site might appear as follows:
```no-highlight
```json
{
"event": "created",
"timestamp": "2021-03-09 17:55:33.968016+00:00",
@@ -81,6 +70,23 @@ If no body template is specified, the request body will be populated with a JSON
}
```
## Conditional Webhooks
A webhook may include a set of conditional logic expressed in JSON used to control whether a webhook triggers for a specific object. For example, you may wish to trigger a webhook for devices only when the `status` field of an object is "active":
```json
{
"and": [
{
"attr": "status.value",
"value": "active"
}
]
}
```
For more detail, see the reference documentation for NetBox's [conditional logic](../reference/conditions.md).
## Webhook Processing
When a change is detected, any resulting webhooks are placed into a Redis queue for processing. This allows the user's request to complete without needing to wait for the outgoing webhook(s) to be processed. The webhooks are then extracted from the queue by the `rqworker` process and HTTP requests are sent to their respective destinations. The current webhook queue and any failed webhooks can be inspected in the admin UI under System > Background Tasks.
NetBox was originally developed by its lead maintainer, [Jeremy Stretch](https://github.com/jeremystretch), while he was working as a network engineer at [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/) in 2015 as part of an effort to automate their network provisioning. Recognizing the new tool's potential, DigitalOcean agreed to release it as an open source project in June 2016.
Since then, thousands of organizations around the world have embraced NetBox as their central network source of truth to empower both network operators and automation.
## Key Features
NetBox was built specifically to serve the needs of network engineers and operators. Below is a very brief overview of the core features it provides.
* IP address management (IPAM) with full IPv4/IPv6 parity
* Automatic provisioning of next available prefix/IP
* VRFs with import & export route targets
* VLANs with variably-scoped groups
* AS number (ASN) management
* Rack elevations with SVG rendering
* Device modeling using pre-defined types
* Network, power, and console cabling with SVG traces
* Power distribution modeling
* Data circuit and provider tracking
* Wireless LAN and point-to-point links
* L2 VPN overlays
* FHRP groups (VRRP, HSRP, etc.)
* Application service bindings
* Virtual machines & clusters
* Flexible hierarchy for sites and locations
* Tenant ownership assignment
* Device & VM configuration contexts for advanced configuration rendering
* Custom fields for data model extension
* Support for custom validation rules
* Custom reports & scripts executable directly within the UI
* Extensive plugin framework for adding custom functionality
* Single sign-on (SSO) authentication
* Robust object-based permissions
* Detailed, automatic change logging
* NAPALM integration
## What NetBox Is Not
While NetBox strives to cover many areas of network management, the scope of its feature set is necessarily limited. This ensures that development focuses on core functionality and that scope creep is reasonably contained. To that end, it might help to provide some examples of functionality that NetBox **does not** provide:
* Network monitoring
* DNS server
* RADIUS server
* Configuration management
* Facilities management
That said, NetBox _can_ be used to great effect in populating external tools with the data they need to perform these functions.
## Design Philosophy
NetBox was designed with the following tenets foremost in mind.
### Replicate the Real World
Careful consideration has been given to the data model to ensure that it can accurately reflect a real-world network. For instance, IP addresses are assigned not to devices, but to specific interfaces attached to a device, and an interface may have multiple IP addresses assigned to it.
### Serve as a "Source of Truth"
NetBox intends to represent the _desired_ state of a network versus its _operational_ state. As such, automated import of live network state is strongly discouraged. All data created in NetBox should first be vetted by a human to ensure its integrity. NetBox can then be used to populate monitoring and provisioning systems with a high degree of confidence.
### Keep it Simple
When given a choice between a relatively simple [80% solution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle) and a much more complex complete solution, the former will typically be favored. This ensures a lean codebase with a low learning curve.
## Application Stack
NetBox is built on the [Django](https://djangoproject.com/) Python framework and utilizes a [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/) database. It runs as a WSGI service behind your choice of HTTP server.
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