# NetBox — Source of Truth for Network Automation

> NetBox is an open-source DCIM and IPAM application that serves as the source of truth for modern network automation, modeling devices, IP space, circuits, racks, and cables.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# NetBox — Source of Truth for Network Automation

## Quick Use
```bash
# Docker Compose (recommended for evaluation)
git clone -b release https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox-docker.git
cd netbox-docker
tee docker-compose.override.yml <<EOF
services:
  netbox:
    ports:
      - 8000:8080
EOF
docker compose up -d
# Create a superuser once containers are healthy
docker compose exec netbox /opt/netbox/netbox/manage.py createsuperuser
# Open http://localhost:8000
```

## Introduction
NetBox started inside DigitalOcean as a private tool to replace a sprawl of spreadsheets tracking IP allocations, rack elevations, and fiber runs. It was open-sourced in 2016 and has become the de-facto source of truth for network teams that want their automation pipelines to generate configs from a single authoritative model instead of guessing. The project is Django-based, well-documented, and ships both a classic server-rendered UI and a full REST + GraphQL API.

## What NetBox Does
- Models physical and virtual infrastructure: sites, racks, devices, modules, inventory items, power, cabling, and console paths.
- Provides an IP Address Management (IPAM) engine for aggregates, prefixes, IP ranges, IPs, VLANs, VRFs, and ASNs.
- Tracks circuits, providers, and long-haul fiber, closing the loop between WAN and on-prem.
- Exposes every object via REST, GraphQL, webhooks, and custom scripts so Ansible, Nautobot, or Terraform can consume it.
- Supports tenancy, custom fields, change logging, and a permissions model strong enough for regulated environments.

## Architecture Overview
NetBox is a Django 5 application backed by PostgreSQL for relational data and Redis for caching, queueing, and the RQ worker pool. Gunicorn fronts the Python app, nginx (or a reverse proxy of your choice) handles TLS, and a separate worker container runs async jobs like scheduled scripts, webhooks, and report execution. Object history, custom field definitions, and change logs live in the same database; search is powered by PostgreSQL full-text indexes. Plugins are first-class — they extend models, views, navigation, and GraphQL — which is how ecosystem projects like netbox-topology-views or netbox-branching integrate without forking core.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via netbox-docker, Helm chart, or a manual systemd deploy against PostgreSQL 14+ and Redis 6+.
- `configuration.py` holds secrets, ALLOWED_HOSTS, auth backends (LDAP, SAML, OIDC via social-auth), and plugin config.
- Run `manage.py migrate` + `manage.py collectstatic` on every upgrade; keep a DB backup before major version jumps.
- Offload object storage (device images, script uploads) to S3/MinIO via the django-storages backend for HA deploys.
- Enable the RQ worker and schedule `housekeeping` daily to clean stale sessions, expired tokens, and changelog entries.

## Key Features
- Rich cable and power modeling including patch panels, breakouts, and multi-cable traces.
- First-class custom fields, custom links, tags, and journal entries for any object type.
- Built-in GraphQL endpoint with filtering that mirrors the REST API for efficient UI and pipeline queries.
- Scripts and Reports execute arbitrary Python against the model, safely sandboxed per job.
- Extensive plugin framework with a public registry and semantic-version compatibility guarantees.

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Nautobot** — NetBox fork with a plugin-first philosophy, Celery-based jobs, and a more opinionated data model.
- **phpIPAM** — Lighter PHP-based IPAM with weaker DCIM; good if you only need IP tracking.
- **Infoblox** — Commercial appliance covering DNS/DHCP/IPAM; NetBox is open and SOT-focused, not a DNS server.
- **RackTables** — Mature but aging DCIM; lacks NetBox''s API surface and active plugin ecosystem.
- **SolarWinds IPAM** — Windows-stack commercial suite; NetBox wins on automation-friendliness and licensing cost.

## FAQ
**Q:** Does NetBox push configuration to devices?
A: No. It is intentionally a source of truth. Tools like Ansible, Nornir, or Nautobot consume NetBox data and render configs.

**Q:** Can I use it for cloud networks?
A: Yes — there are models for virtual machines, clusters, and cloud regions/providers, and plugins extend AWS/Azure/GCP coverage.

**Q:** How do I keep dev and prod in sync?
A: Use the REST API and object-level changelog, or try the netbox-branching plugin which adds git-like branches to the data model.

**Q:** Is there an audit trail?
A: Every create/update/delete is logged with user, timestamp, and full diff, retained for a configurable window.

## Sources
- https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox
- https://netboxlabs.com/docs/netbox/


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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/9741639f-3928-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: Script Depot