Network Automation 101

In this document, I gathered most of what I'd learned about network automation so far in a structured and concise manner. The main audience of this guide are engineers who want to start automating their networks but are overwhelmed by the abundance of terms, tools, and concepts.

I hope this guide will give you a good overview of the network automation landscape. If you decide to learn more I encourage you to set up a lab and get some hands-on experience. Then when you are ready to apply your new skills in daily work I recommend to start small and look for the low hanging fruits. For example, you can automate information gathering from your network devices (e.g. config backup) and then, when you feel more comfortable, begin to configure devices programmatically.