Network DevOps in 60 Minutes — From Manual CLI to Automated Pipelines

You don't need a platform team and a year to do network DevOps. In an hour you can move from manual CLI to a pipeline that turns a committed intent file into a verified, audited change.

The maturity ladder

1. Manual — engineer SSHes in and pastes commands.
2. Scripted — the same commands wrapped in a Python script.
3. Version-controlled — scripts and intent files live in Git.
4. Pipelined — a commit triggers validate → test → dry-run → deploy.
5. GitOps — Git is the source of truth; the network reconciles to it.

Minute 0–20: version your config

Put one device's intent into a YAML file and commit it. You now have history, review, and rollback for free.

Minute 20–45: add a pipeline

Wire a pipeline with validate, dry-run, and deploy stages. The dry-run diff is your safety net — nothing touches a device until you've seen exactly what changes.

stages:
  - validate   # schema + lint
  - test       # unit checks against intent
  - dry-run    # render + diff, no device writes
  - deploy     # push on approval
  - verify     # post-change assertions

Minute 45–60: close the loop

Add post-deploy verification and an audit entry. Now every change is reviewable, reversible, and recorded.