Network as Code (NaC) is a methodology that applies Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles to network management and operations. It enables network engineers to manage network infrastructure using declarative configuration files, version control, and automated deployment pipelines—the same practices that have revolutionized software development and cloud infrastructure management.
The Network as Code approach leverages industry-standard open-source tools:
Throughout this lab, you will experience Network as Code principles in action by defining network configurations using YAML data models, storing them in Git version control, automating deployments using Terraform, and validating changes using CXTM (Robot Framework test cases) integrated into CI/CD pipelines. This hands-on experience will demonstrate how Network as Code transforms network operations from manual, error-prone processes into automated, reliable, and scalable workflows. In this lab, you will explore the additional integration capabilities with Cisco CX Test Automation Manager (CXTM) to provide a more comprehensive testing solution. The tests executed in CXTM can address more functional, operational, destructive, and performance testing requirements. The CXTM tests can be integrated as a separate stage in the pipeline and executed after the configuration changes are applied to the data center fabric.
Continue to the next section to learn about the concepts of NetDevOps.