Beginner
Start Here
Orientation, and your first lesson: what network automation actually is.
Start Here answers the question most newcomers actually have before writing any code: what does "network automation" really mean, day to day? You'll walk through what a manual CLI workflow looks like versus an automated one, see a practical tour of the kinds of tasks automation is actually good at, and get an honest framework for recognizing when a task isn't ready to be automated yet. There's no Python and no device connections in this module -- it's entirely conceptual, and deliberately so. Everything here is the mental model the rest of the curriculum builds on, from the first Python script through the final Capstone, so the tools you'll learn later always have a clear "why" attached to them.
Next up
What is Network Automation?
0 / 6 completeLessons
- 1
What is Network Automation?
A plain-language introduction to network automation for network engineers: what it is, why it matters, and what you can actually automate.
Beginner10 min readNext up - 2
Why Network Engineers Automate
The real, day-to-day reasons network engineers reach for automation — and why it changes what you spend your time on, not whether you're needed.
Beginner10 min read - 3
Manual vs Automated Workflows
A closer look at what actually changes — and what stays exactly the same — when a network task moves from manual CLI work to an automated script.
Beginner10 min read - 4
What Can Network Automation Automate?
A practical tour of the categories of network engineering work automation is actually good at, with real Cisco-style examples for each.
Beginner13 min read - 5
Network Automation Workflow
A deeper look at every stage of the automation workflow — input through report — including how good automation handles failures instead of ignoring them.
Beginner13 min read - 6
When NOT to Automate
A practical decision framework for recognizing when a network task isn't ready to be automated yet — and what to do instead.
Beginner10 min read