Table of contents

Network Automation from First Principles

A complete path from networking fundamentals and automation theory to production-grade tools, workflows, and expert practice

Read each section in order. Every title can be opened as a TheoryTrace document.

• Cover
• Copyright
• How to read this book
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: What Network Automation Is and Why It Matters
• Chapter 2: Networking Foundations for Automation
• Chapter 3: How Network Devices Are Managed
• Chapter 4: Automation Thinking: From Manual Tasks to Reliable Systems
• Chapter 5: Linux, Shell, and Text Processing for Network Engineers
• Chapter 6: Programming Fundamentals with Python
• Chapter 7: Data Structures and Configuration Data
• Chapter 8: Working with Network Devices Using Python
• Chapter 9: Parsing, Normalization, and Structured Output
• Chapter 10: APIs for Network Automation
• Chapter 11: Source of Truth and Network Data Management
• Chapter 12: Configuration Templates and Intent-Based Generation
• Chapter 13: Version Control with Git
• Chapter 14: Ansible for Network Automation
• Chapter 15: Network Testing, Validation, and Assurance
• Chapter 16: Safe Change Management and Rollback
• Chapter 17: CI/CD for Network Automation
• Chapter 18: Infrastructure as Code for Networks
• Chapter 19: Controllers, Orchestrators, and Intent-Based Networking
• Chapter 20: Observability, Telemetry, and Event-Driven Automation
• Chapter 21: Security for Network Automation
• Chapter 22: Multi-Vendor and Multi-Domain Automation
• Chapter 23: Designing Production-Grade Automation Systems
• Chapter 24: Advanced Automation Patterns and Expert Practice
• Conclusion