Why Should Network Engineers Learn Python?

Traditional network management often involves connecting to devices one at a time and manually entering commands. This can become inefficient when an organization has hundreds or thousands of routers and switches.

Python allows engineers to automate these repetitive tasks and manage network infrastructure more efficiently.

Manual Configuration

Engineer
    ↓
Switch 1
    ↓
Switch 2
    ↓
Switch 3
    ↓
Switch 100


Python Automation

Engineer
    ↓
Python Script
    ↓
Network Devices
    ↓
Configuration Completed
        

Benefits of Python Network Automation

• Reduces repetitive manual work.
• Reduces configuration errors.
• Saves time.
• Allows engineers to manage multiple devices.
• Improves network consistency.
• Helps collect network information automatically.
• Supports monitoring and troubleshooting.
• Can integrate with APIs and cloud platforms.

Important Python Networking Libraries

Several Python libraries and tools can help network engineers automate network devices.

1. Configure a Network Switch Using Python

One of the most common automation tasks is sending configuration commands to a network switch.

Using Netmiko, Python can establish an SSH connection to a supported network device and send commands.

from netmiko import ConnectHandler

switch = {
    "device_type": "cisco_ios",
    "host": "192.168.1.10",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "your_password"
}

connection = ConnectHandler(**switch)

commands = [
    "vlan 10",
    "name SALES"
]

output = connection.send_config_set(commands)

print(output)

connection.disconnect()
        

The example connects to a Cisco IOS device and sends configuration commands. In a real environment, credentials should not be hard-coded inside scripts.

What Can You Automate?

• Create VLANs.
• Configure interfaces.
• Configure descriptions.
• Configure routing.
• Apply security settings.
• Update device configurations.

2. Backup Network Device Configurations

Network configuration backups are extremely important. If a device fails or an incorrect configuration causes a problem, engineers can use a previous configuration to restore the device.

Python can automatically connect to devices and save their running configuration.

from netmiko import ConnectHandler

switch = {
    "device_type": "cisco_ios",
    "host": "192.168.1.10",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "your_password"
}

connection = ConnectHandler(**switch)

config = connection.send_command("show running-config")

with open("switch_backup.txt", "w") as file:
    file.write(config)

connection.disconnect()

print("Configuration backup completed.")
        

Instead of manually logging into every switch and copying its configuration, an engineer can automate the entire backup process.

Large Network Example

                 Python Script
                      │
          ┌───────────┼───────────┐
          ↓           ↓           ↓
       Switch 1    Switch 2    Switch 3
          │           │           │
          ↓           ↓           ↓
       Backup      Backup      Backup
        

The same concept can be expanded to hundreds of network devices.

3. Check Network Device Status

Network engineers frequently need to check whether devices are reachable and collect information such as hostname, uptime, interfaces, and software versions.

Python can automate this process.

from netmiko import ConnectHandler

switch = {
    "device_type": "cisco_ios",
    "host": "192.168.1.10",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "your_password"
}

connection = ConnectHandler(**switch)

hostname = connection.send_command("show running-config | include hostname")
interfaces = connection.send_command("show ip interface brief")
version = connection.send_command("show version")

print(hostname)
print(interfaces)
print(version)

connection.disconnect()
        

Instead of manually checking each device, Python can collect the information and generate a report automatically.

4. Automate Multiple Network Devices

The real power of network automation becomes clear when you need to manage multiple devices.

devices = [
    "192.168.1.10",
    "192.168.1.11",
    "192.168.1.12",
    "192.168.1.13"
]

for device in devices:

    print("Connecting to:", device)

    # Connect to device
    # Run commands
    # Collect results
    # Save output
        

A single automation script can process multiple devices instead of requiring an engineer to repeat the same task manually.

5. Network Monitoring with Python

Python can also be used to monitor network devices and check whether they are responding.

import subprocess

device = "192.168.1.10"

result = subprocess.run(
    ["ping", "-n", "1", device],
    capture_output=True,
    text=True
)

if result.returncode == 0:
    print(device, "is reachable")
else:
    print(device, "is not reachable")
        

Monitoring scripts can be expanded to check multiple devices and generate alerts when a device becomes unavailable.

6. Python + APIs

Modern networking platforms increasingly provide REST APIs. Python can communicate with these APIs to retrieve information or automate network management tasks.

Python
   ↓
REST API
   ↓
Network Management Platform
   ↓
Routers / Switches / Firewalls
        

Learning APIs is therefore an important step after learning basic Python network automation.

7. Python vs Ansible for Network Automation

Learning both Python and Ansible can give network engineers a strong foundation in modern network automation.

Network Automation Career Path

Networking Fundamentals
          ↓
        CCNA
          ↓
Network Engineer
          ↓
        Python
          ↓
     Network Automation
          ↓
Python + APIs + Ansible
          ↓
   DevNet / Automation Engineer
          ↓
Senior Network Automation Engineer
        

Skills You Should Learn

• Networking Fundamentals
• CCNA
• TCP/IP
• Routing & Switching
• Python Programming
• Netmiko
• NAPALM
• REST APIs
• JSON
• YAML
• Ansible
• Git & GitHub
• Linux
• Cloud Networking

Important Security Note

Network automation scripts can have powerful access to infrastructure. Always test scripts in a lab environment before using them on production devices.

• Never hard-code production passwords.
• Use secure credential management.
• Use SSH instead of insecure protocols.
• Apply least-privilege access.
• Test configuration changes before deployment.
• Keep configuration backups.
• Use version control for automation code.

Final Thoughts

Python is becoming an increasingly valuable skill for modern network engineers. From configuring switches and backing up configurations to monitoring devices and working with APIs, automation can dramatically reduce repetitive manual work.

If you already understand networking, learning Python can be the next step toward becoming a Network Automation Engineer, DevNet Engineer, Cloud Engineer, or DevOps Professional.

The ideal combination for a modern networking professional is: Networking + Python + Automation + Cloud + Security.