Mastering Python Networking

Get to grips with the latest container examples, Python 3 features, GitLab DevOps, network data analysis, and cloud networking to get the most out of Python for network engineering with the latest edition of this bestselling guide

Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free eBook in PDF format.

Key Features

• Leverage Python's powerful libraries and frameworks to build production-ready network automation solutions efficiently and effectively
• Implement network security, monitoring, and management solutions using modern DevOps tools and cloud-native approaches
• Utilize AsyncIO and cloud capabilities in Python 3 for AWS and Azure network solutions

Book Description

Networks in your infrastructure set the foundation for deploying, maintaining, and servicing applications. Python is the ideal language for network engineers to explore tools that were previously available to systems engineers and application developers. Mastering Python Networking, Fourth edition, guides you on a Python-driven journey from traditional network engineering to modern network development.

This new edition incorporates the latest Python features and DevOps frameworks. In addition to new chapters on introducing Docker containers and Python 3 Async IO for network engineers, each chapter is updated with the latest libraries and working examples to ensure compatibility and clarity of the concepts.

Starting with a basic overview of Python, the book teaches you how it can interact with both legacy and API-enabled network devices. You will learn to leverage high-level Python packages and frameworks to perform network automation tasks, monitoring, management, and enhanced network security, followed by AWS and Azure cloud networking. You will use Git for code management, GitLab for continuous integration, and Python-based testing tools to verify your network.

By the end of this book, you'll be a confident network developer capable of automating modern infrastructure using Python, DevOps practices, and cloud technologies.

What you will learn

• Use Python to interact with network devices
• Explore Docker for efficient network application development and deployment
• Extract network insights using Python and monitoring tools like NetFlow and SNMP
• Analyze network data with ELK for real-time visualization
• Build high-level API with Flask for in-house applications
• Discover the new AsyncIO feature and its concepts in Python 3
• Explore test-driven development concepts and use PyTest to drive code test coverage
• Understand how to implement DevOps best practices with GitLab in networking

Who this book is for

Mastering Python Networking, Fourth edition is for network engineers, developers, and SREs who want to learn Python for network automation, programmability, monitoring, cloud, and data analysis. Network engineers who want to transition from manual to automation-based networks using the latest DevOps tools will also get a lot of useful information from this book.

Basic familiarity with Python programming and networking-related concepts such as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) will be helpful in getting the most out of this book.

Table of Contents

1. Review of TCP/IP Protocol Suite and Python
2. Low-Level Network Device Interactions
3. APIs and Intent-Driven Networking
4. The Python Automation Framework – Ansible
5. Docker Containers for Network Engineers
6. Network Security with Python
7. Network Monitoring with Python - Part 1
8. Network Monitoring with Python - Part 2

(N.B. Please use the Read Sample option to see further chapters)

Eric Chou is a seasoned technologist with over 20 years of experience. He has worked on some of the largest networks in the industry while working at Amazon, Azure, and other Fortune 500 companies. Eric is passionate about network automation, Python, DevOps, and helping companies build better security postures. In addition to being the author of Mastering Python Networking (Packt), he is the author or co-author of other top-selling books and highly-rated online classes. Eric is the primary inventor or co-inventor for three U.S. patents in IP telephony and networking. He shares his deep interest in technology through his books, classes, blog, and contributes to some of the popular Python open source projects.