The Complete Cisco pyATS Automation Resource

Right, let’s get straight to it. You’re here because you know network automation isn’t going anywhere, and frankly, if you’re still configuring devices one by one through SSH sessions, you’re already behind the curve. I’ve been teaching network professionals for years, and I can tell you that cisco pyats automation has become the framework that separates those who get automation from those who are still fumbling around with basic scripts.

This isn’t just another collection of blog posts about network automation. This is your complete roadmap to mastering Cisco pyATS, written specifically for network engineers who are serious about advancing their careers in automation. Whether you’re working towards your CCNP Enterprise, diving into CCIE level automation, or just trying to make sense of this whole NetDevOps movement, this series will get you there.

What Makes pyATS Different From Everything Else

Before we dive into the learning path, you need to understand why I’m focusing this entire series on pyATS rather than the usual suspects like Ansible or NAPALM. Don’t get me wrong – those tools have their place. But pyATS was built from the ground up for network testing and validation, not adapted from server automation.

When Cisco built pyATS, they solved the fundamental problem that every network engineer faces: how do you know your network is actually working the way you think it is? You can push configurations all day long, but unless you’re testing and validating the results, you’re basically flying blind.

pyATS gives you vendor-agnostic testing that works across Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and others. It’s production-ready because Cisco uses it internally for their own testing. And it’s built on Python, which means you can extend it however you need.

Who This Series Is Really For

Let me be clear about who should follow this series. If you’re a complete beginner to networking, this isn’t for you yet. Go learn your basics first. This series assumes you already understand:

• TCP/IP fundamentals and how routing protocols work
• Basic Python programming (you don’t need to be expert, but you should understand variables, functions, and loops)
• Command line interfaces and SSH connections
• YAML syntax basics

This series is designed for network engineers who are ready to move beyond basic automation scripts. You might be working on your CCNP Enterprise and looking at the automation topics. Maybe you’re preparing for CCIE and need to understand advanced testing methodologies. Or perhaps you’re already working in enterprise environments and need to implement proper testing frameworks.

Your Learning Journey: What We’ll Cover

I’ve structured this series to take you through pyATS in the most logical way possible. Each post builds on what you’ve learned before, but I’ve also made sure you can jump to specific topics if you need to solve a particular problem.

Foundation Series: Getting Your Feet Wet (Posts 1-8)

We start with the absolute fundamentals because I’ve seen too many engineers try to jump straight into advanced features without understanding the basics.

Post 1: What is Network Automation and Why pyATS? We’ll start by understanding why automation became essential and where pyATS fits in the broader automation ecosystem.

Post 2: Introduction to NetDevOps and Test-Driven Networks This is where we cover the philosophical shift from reactive network management to proactive, test-driven approaches.

Post 3: Cisco pyATS Ecosystem A proper deep dive into how pyATS is structured, what Genie brings to the table, and how all the pieces fit together.

Post 4: pyATS vs Ansible and Other Automation Tools Honest comparison with Ansible, NAPALM, and Nornir so you know when to use each tool.

Post 5: Installing pyATS Complete installation guide for Windows WSL, Linux, and macOS, plus virtual environment best practices.

Post 6: Your First pyATS Environment: IDE Setup and Debugging Getting your development environment properly configured so you’re not fighting with tools while learning.

Post 7: What is a pyATS Testbed Testbeds are fundamental to everything in pyATS, so we’ll master them properly.

Post 8: Using Virtual Devices for Learning, Development and Testing How to practice cisco pyats automation skills without needing access to physical hardware.

Core Skills Series: Building Real Competency (Posts 9-16)

Once you understand the basics, we move into the skills you’ll actually use day-to-day.

Post 9: Your First AEtest Script: Hello Network World Writing your first proper network test using the AEtest framework.

Post 10: AEtest Deep Dive: CommonSetup, Testcases, and CommonCleanup Understanding the structure that makes AEtest so powerful for network testing.

Post 11: Test Parameters and Data-Driven Testing Making your tests flexible and reusable instead of hardcoding everything.

Post 12: pyATS Job Files: Running Multiple Tests Together Orchestrating complex test scenarios using Easypy job files.

Post 13: Network Data Parsing: From CLI Output to Structured Data This is where pyATS really shines – turning raw command output into structured data you can actually work with.

Post 14: The Power of pyATS Learn: Capturing Device State Learning how to capture comprehensive device state for comparison and validation.

Post 15: Dictionary Queries (Dq): Extracting Insights from Complex Data Mastering Dq queries to find exactly what you need in complex data structures.

Post 16: Building Your First Production-Ready Test Suite Putting everything together to create a maintainable, scalable test framework.

Advanced Testing Series: Professional-Level Skills (Posts 17-24)

This is where we get into the cisco pyats automation advanced patterns and techniques that separate professionals from beginners.

Post 17: Interface Testing: Monitoring Network Connectivity Comprehensive strategies for validating interface states, performance, and error conditions.

Post 18: Protocol Testing: BGP, OSPF, and Routing Validation Testing routing protocols, convergence, and ensuring your control plane is working properly.

Post 19: Configuration Testing: Ensuring Intent Matches Reality Validating that your device configurations actually match what you intended to deploy.

Post 20: Network Reachability Testing: End-to-End Validation Testing connectivity across your entire network infrastructure, not just individual devices.

Post 21: Performance Testing: Monitoring Network Health Measuring and validating network performance metrics and thresholds.

Post 22: Before and After Testing: Change Impact Analysis Comparing network state before and after changes to detect unintended consequences.

Post 23: Automated Network Documentation with pyATS Generating dynamic documentation that actually stays current with your network changes.

Post 24: Test-Driven Network Changes: The Right Way to Modify Networks Implementing changes with confidence using comprehensive pre and post-change testing.

Enterprise Automation Series: Scaling Up (Posts 25-32)

Once you’ve mastered the core skills, we move into enterprise-level implementations.

Post 25: Triggers and Verifications: Dynamic Network Testing Using Genie Harness for sophisticated test scenarios that adapt to your network.

Post 26: Network State Snapshots and Comparisons Capturing and comparing network state over time for trend analysis and troubleshooting.

Post 27: Automated Configuration Management with pyATS Managing device configurations programmatically while ensuring safety and rollback capabilities.

Post 28: pyATS Clean: Device Recovery and Reset Strategies Automating device cleanup and recovery procedures for consistent test environments.

Post 29: Parallel Testing: Scaling Your Test Execution Running tests in parallel for faster results and better resource utilization in large networks.

Post 30: Low-Code Testing with pyATS Blitz Creating complex tests using YAML instead of Python for team members who aren’t developers.

Post 31: Health Checks and Continuous Monitoring Implementing ongoing network health validation that runs automatically.

Post 32: Recording and Playback: Consistent Test Environments Creating repeatable test scenarios with recorded network interactions.

Integration and Collaboration Series: Working in Teams (Posts 33-40)

Real-world network automation happens in teams with existing tools and processes.

Post 33: API Integration: Combining REST APIs with pyATS Tests Integrating network device APIs into your testing workflows for comprehensive validation.

Post 34: CI/CD for Networks: GitLab Integration with pyATS Building continuous integration pipelines for network changes using GitLab.

Post 35: Jenkins and pyATS: Automated Testing Pipelines Using Jenkins to orchestrate pyATS testing workflows in enterprise environments.

Post 36: ChatOps Integration: WebEx Bots for Network Testing Building chatbots that trigger and report on network tests for improved team collaboration.

Post 37: Container-Based Testing with Docker Running pyATS tests in containerised environments for consistency and scalability.

Post 38: ROBOT Framework Integration: Keyword-Driven Network Testing Combining pyATS power with ROBOT Framework’s readable test syntax.

Post 39: XPRESSO: Enterprise pyATS Management Using XPRESSO for large-scale test management and collaboration across teams.

Post 40: Team Collaboration: Sharing Tests and Results Best practices for team-based network automation development and knowledge sharing.

Advanced Topics Series: Expert-Level Implementation (Posts 41-45)

The final series covers advanced topics for those who want to become true cisco pyats automation experts.

Post 41: Writing Custom pyATS Parsers Developing parsers for unsupported commands or custom network device output.

Post 42: Advanced Testbed Configurations and Connection Management Complex testbed scenarios and connection optimisation for large-scale deployments.

Post 43: Performance Optimisation: Making pyATS Tests Faster Tuning your tests for maximum speed and efficiency in production environments.

Post 44: Security and Credential Management Best Practices Handling sensitive information safely in automation workflows and production deployments.

Post 45: Contributing to the pyATS Community How to contribute parsers, features, and improvements back to the open-source community.

How to Actually Use This Series

Look, I’ve been teaching this stuff long enough to know that different people learn differently. Some of you want to work through everything methodically. Others need to solve specific problems right now. I’ve designed this series to work both ways.

If You’re Starting From Scratch

Start with Post 1 and work through the Foundation Series sequentially. Don’t skip ahead even if you think you know some of this stuff. I’ve seen too many engineers struggle with advanced concepts because they skipped the fundamentals.

Each post includes hands-on labs and examples. Actually do them. Don’t just read through and think you understand. Network automation is a practical skill, and you won’t develop it without getting your hands dirty.

If You’ve Got Some Experience

You can probably jump into the Core Skills Series around Post 9, but I’d recommend at least skimming the Foundation posts to make sure you haven’t missed anything important.

If You’re Working on Specific Problems

Use the topic descriptions to jump directly to what you need. Each post is written to stand alone as reference material once you’ve got the basics sorted.

For Teams and Enterprise Implementation

Focus on the Integration and Collaboration series (Posts 33-40) if you’re dealing with existing toolchains and team processes.

What You’ll Actually Know When We’re Done

By the time you finish this series, you won’t just know cisco pyats automation syntax. You’ll understand how to design and implement comprehensive network testing strategies. You’ll know how to integrate pyATS with existing tools and processes. And you’ll have the confidence to implement these solutions in production environments.

More importantly, you’ll think differently about network management. Instead of reacting to problems, you’ll be proactively testing and validating your network. Instead of hoping changes work correctly, you’ll know they do because you’ve tested them properly.

This is the kind of skillset that employers are looking for in network engineers today. It’s what separates senior engineers from junior ones. And it’s what you need to master if you want to advance in network automation.

The Practical Approach We’ll Take

Every post in this series includes real examples and hands-on exercises. I’m not interested in theoretical discussions that don’t help you solve actual problems. When I show you how to create a testbed file, you’ll be creating one that actually works. When we cover parsing, you’ll be parsing real command output from real devices.

I’ll also show you the mistakes I see engineers make regularly. pyATS is powerful, but it’s easy to use incorrectly if you don’t understand the underlying concepts. I’d rather you learn the right way from the beginning than develop bad habits you’ll need to unlearn later.

Your Next Step

Ready to get started? The first post covers the fundamental question: what is network automation really, and why does cisco pyats automation approach it differently than other tools? It’s not just theory – we’ll look at real scenarios where automated testing prevented network outages and saved organisations significant time and money.

Don’t wait until you have the “perfect” lab environment or unlimited time to study. Start with Post 1, follow along with the examples, and begin building your pyATS skills systematically. Your future self will thank you for starting today rather than putting it off until tomorrow.

External link: Learn more about Cisco’s DevNet certification paths at Cisco DevNet

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