Beyond the CLI is a series for network engineers ready to put the console cable down and lean into modern DevOps practices - Git, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, and AI-assisted workflows.
Whether you're just getting started or looking to fill in the gaps, this series covers the concepts, benefits, and hands-on application of DevOps in network engineering.
Tools we'll be using;
- GitHub & GitHub Actions: Git hosting and CI/CD pipelines (with self-hosted runners)
- Cisco IOS-XE on CML: Lab environment for network infrastructure. EVE-NG, Containerlab, or similar will work too.
- Terraform: Infrastructure as Code for defining desired network state
- Claude Code: For the AI section only; optional, and more exploratory than prescriptive.
Git Fundamentals
Git Fundamentals - For Network Engineers
As network engineers, we’ve been solving version control problems badly for years, dated backup files, manual comparisons, config files named final_v2_WORKING.txt. Git exists because developers hit this wall decades ago. It’s time we caught up.
Dan Jones
- Git in Practice
- Git Mastery - For Network Engineers
- Optional
- APIs & Network Programmability – REST, NETCONF, gRPC. The "why" before the "how" of automation.
- Interacting with APIs by Example
- Terraform (IaC) for Network Infrastructure - Managing network resources as code
- Managing infra with IaC by Example
- CI/CD Pipelines - Automating testing and deployment for network changes
- Using Pipelines by Example
- AI in NetDevOps - Exploring practical use cases and emerging patterns