Network Programmability and Automation: Skills for the Next-Generation Network Engineer

Network engineers are finding it harder than ever to rely solely on manual processes to get their jobs done. New protocols, technologies, delivery models, and the need for businesses to become more agile and flexible have made network automation essential. The updated second edition of this practical guide shows network engineers how to use a range of technologies and tools, including Linux, Python, APIs, and Git, to automate systems through code. This edition also includes brand new topics such as network development environments, cloud, programming with Go, and a reference network automation architecture.

Network Programmability and Automation will help you automate tasks involved in configuring, managing, and operating network equipment, topologies, services, and connectivity. Through the course of the book, you'll learn the basic skills and tools you need to make this critical transition.

You'll learn:

• Programming skills with Python and Go: data types, conditionals, loops, functions, and more
• New Linux-based networking technologies and cloud native environments, and how to use them to bootstrap development environments for your network projects
• Data formats and models: JSON, XML, YAML, Protobuf, and YANG
• Jinja templating for creating network device configurations
• A holistic approach to architecting network automation services
• The role of application programming interfaces (APIs) in network automation
• Source control with Git to manage code changes during the automation process
• Cloud-native technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
• How to automate network devices and services using Ansible, Nornir, and Terraform
• Tools and technologies for developing and continuously integrating network automation

Matt Oswalt is a Network Software Developer, currently focusing on the intersection of software development and network infrastructure. He publishes his work in this area and more at oswalt.dev, and on Twitter as @Mierdin.

Christian Adell is a network software engineer who has played different roles in networking and systems automation, and is currently working as Principal Architect at Network to Code. Early in his career, Christian focused on network operations and architecture, and from there, he adopted the DevOps mindset, and started using the software development best practices to create, and run, network automation solutions and services. This journey brought him from the national broadcaster in Catalonia, to global companies like Schibsted and Cisco, before joining Network to Code in 2020. For more than 20 years, since graduating with degrees in computer and telecommunication engineering from several universities, he's been teaching networking related subjects at those same universities. Learning and sharing knowledge and experiences are some of his passions, so you can find him at multiple conferences, and on Twitter at @chadell0.

Scott Lowe works as an engineering architect for VMware, Inc. He focuses on cloud computing and network virtualization, after having spent a number of years specializing in compute virtualization. Scott's the author of several technical books on topics like VMware vSphere and OpenStack.

Jason Edelman is the Founder & CTO at Network to Code, a leading network automation solutions provider. Jason founded Network to Code in late 2014. Observing how DevOps was radically changing the IT operational models for systems administrators and developers, Jason saw an opportunity to combine existing technologies from the worlds of DevOps and software development within the networking infrastructure domain to create holistic network automation solutions. Prior to Network to Code, Jason spent a career in technical sales at Presidio, BlueWater, and Cisco developing and architecting network solutions. He is a former CCIE and has a B.E. in Computer Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. You can find Jason on Twitter at @jedelman8.