Nautobot offers multiple deployment options to fit a wide range of network environments, from small labs to enterprise-scale cloud-native architectures. Below are the supported deployment methods and how they function step by step in real-world use.

• Bare Metal & Virtual Machine Deployments:
  1. Provision a supported Linux system (e.g., Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, or RHEL).
  2. Install Python, PostgreSQL, Redis, and required dependencies manually or via Ansible playbooks.
  3. Clone the Nautobot repository or download release packages.
  4. Configure required environment variables and system services.
  5. Launch Nautobot using systemd, Gunicorn, or uWSGI.

  Use Case: Ideal for air-gapped or high-security environments with direct hardware access.

• Docker-Based Container Deployment:
  1. Ensure Docker Engine is installed on your host system.
  2. Clone the nautobot-docker-compose project or use a prebuilt Docker image.
  3. Edit the .env file and docker-compose.yml to configure PostgreSQL, Redis, and plugins.
  4. Bring up the stack with docker-compose up -d.
  5. Access Nautobot through the exposed web port (typically 8000 or 8080).

  Use Case: Great for labs, development environments, or lightweight production instances with minimal overhead.

• Kubernetes and Helm Charts:
  1. Install a Kubernetes cluster (local using KinD or production-grade like EKS, AKS, or GKE).
  2. Install Helm on your workstation or CI pipeline environment.
  3. Add the Nautobot Helm repo and pull the latest charts.
  4. Customize your values.yaml to define plugins, secrets, and resource limits.
  5. Deploy with helm install nautobot nautobot/nautobot -f values.yaml.

  Use Case: Best suited for cloud-native organizations or those using GitOps for infrastructure delivery and lifecycle management.

• Nautobot Cloud (Managed SaaS):
  1. Sign up and create an instance from the Nautobot Cloud dashboard.
  2. Choose memory, vCPU, and storage sizing options.
  3. Enable preferred integrations and plugins directly from the self-service marketplace.
  4. Start managing your network data via a browser—no infrastructure to deploy or maintain.
  5. Use webhooks or Git-based integration to push configuration changes and automation workflows.

  Use Case: Ideal for teams wanting rapid onboarding and zero maintenance, especially within fast-paced DevOps or MSP environments.

Nautobot is engineered for extensibility, making it simple to integrate with modern network automation and IT workflows. Below is a step-by-step breakdown of Nautobot’s capabilities for extensibility and integration in real-world deployments.

• Rich API Connectivity:
  1. Enable REST API to interact programmatically with all core Nautobot data models.
  2. Use GraphQL API for flexible, custom queries over network data without rigid schemas.
  3. Leverage automated webhooks to trigger external workflows and services from network events in real time.

  Use Case: Seamless data synchronization between Nautobot and network automation platforms or external CMDBs.

• Plugin Architecture:
  1. Develop custom plugins to extend Nautobot with dashboards, custom data models, or automation apps.
  2. Install and manage plugins using configuration files for easy migration and version control.
  3. Leverage pre-built community or commercial plugins for rapid enhancement of platform capabilities.

  Use Case: Integrate unique business logic, adapter modules for multivendor devices, or enhanced monitoring systems.

• Native Git Integration:
  1. Configure Nautobot to sync with Git repositories for source-controlled management of configuration data.
  2. Maintain version history of network intent definitions, plugins, and workflow templates.
  3. Automate deployments and orchestrate changes with CI/CD pipelines directly connected to your Git-based source of truth.

  Use Case: Enable GitOps workflows for infrastructure as code, ensuring auditability and rollback of configuration and automation assets.

• Event-Driven Automation:
  1. Set up webhooks to send event notifications or trigger playbooks when specific changes occur (for example, when a device is added or updated).
  2. Integrate Nautobot with orchestration platforms (such as Ansible, StackStorm, or custom scripts) to perform automated responses.
  3. Chain automation tasks to create closed-loop, policy-driven network management.

  Use Case: Automatically update firewall rules, inventory, or monitoring tools as soon as network configurations change.

Nautobot’s flexible deployment and extensibility features unlock powerful real-world use cases across modern network environments. Here’s a step-by-step look at how organizations put this flexibility to work:

• Data-Driven, Vendor-Agnostic Automation:
  1. Model multi-vendor networks by defining devices, IPs, circuits, and relationships in a unified source of truth.
  2. Enforce business rules and data standards through custom fields, validations, and naming enforcement.
  3. Push standardized configurations across heterogeneous hardware using automation workflows linked to Nautobot’s data models.

  Use Case: Automate configuration, compliance, and change management—regardless of hardware vendor or network domain (on-premises, cloud, SDN).

• Edge Deployments and Fleet Management:
  1. Aggregate edge site inventories and configurations centrally in Nautobot.
  2. Leverage GitOps and automation tools to roll out secure, validated device configurations at remote locations.
  3. Continuously monitor and update device configurations to prevent drift and ensure compliance across thousands of edge devices.

  Use Case: Scale network and security operations efficiently with minimal manual intervention for remote and distributed infrastructures.

• Automated CI/CD and Release Management:
  1. Store intended state definitions for networks as code using Git integration with Nautobot.
  2. Configure automation pipelines to validate changes, trigger deployment jobs, and rollback if tests fail—all using Nautobot as the data backbone.
  3. Leverage version-controlled network inventories for predictable, auditable network changes and rapid response to issues.

  Use Case: Enable network infrastructure-as-code, driving safe, repeatable, and collaborative network operations aligned with DevOps best practices.

• Custom Network Automation Apps:
  1. Develop purpose-built apps on top of Nautobot’s platform—such as automated ACL deployment, device lifecycle management, or topology visualization.
  2. Integrate directly with APIs, webhooks, and native plugins for tightly-coupled automation solutions.
  3. Reduce development time by leveraging built-in authentication, UI, and data audit frameworks.

  Use Case: Rapidly build and iterate on network automation tooling that’s tailored to unique organizational and operational requirements.

This table summarizes Nautobot’s primary deployment methods, highlighting which platforms they run on, their advantages, and key considerations for each approach. Use this as a quick-reference guide to help determine the best fit for your network environment and operational needs.

Tip: Choose the deployment method that best matches your organization’s size, security posture, and goals for automation and scaling.

Encountering issues during Nautobot deployment or operation is not uncommon, but most can be addressed step by step with the right approach. Here’s a practical troubleshooting guide to help diagnose and resolve common problems:

• Service Won’t Start or Crashes:
  1. Check service status using systemctl status nautobot or docker ps for containerized deployments.
  2. Examine logs with journalctl -eu nautobot.service or view container logs via docker logs nautical_container_name.
  3. Look for errors related to missing settings, permissions, or networking.
  4. Ensure database, Redis, and other dependencies are accessible and running.

  Tip: Restart services only after correcting underlying issues found in the logs.

• Database and Migration Issues:
  1. Verify that PostgreSQL is running and credentials match your nautobot_config.py file.
  2. If migrations fail, run nautobot-server migrate and review the output for missing dependencies or permission errors.
  3. Check that the user specified has appropriate privileges on the Nautobot database.

  Tip: If you see errors about missing tables or ContentType, running migrations again usually resolves them.

• Web Interface Won’t Load:
  1. Ensure the web service is running and not reporting a port conflict.
  2. Check ALLOWED_HOSTS and confirm the URL in your browser matches one allowed by your configuration.
  3. If using self-signed certificates, bypass browser warnings as appropriate for initial access.
  4. Resolve HTTP 502/504 errors by ensuring all backend services and proxies (like Nginx) are correctly configured and started.

  Tip: For SSL errors, confirm certificate paths and permissions, and ensure system time is correct.

• Plugin or Integration Failures:
  1. Confirm plugins are installed with compatible versions and listed in the Nautobot configuration plugins section.
  2. Restart Nautobot after adding or modifying plugins.
  3. Review logs for specific error codes and cross-check with plugin documentation for solutions.

  Tip: Disable recently added plugins if problems persist to isolate the issue.

• Job and Task Failures (Golden Config, Backups, etc.):
  1. Check if jobs are enabled via the Nautobot Jobs UI.
  2. Validate required global settings and variables are properly configured.
  3. Test connectivity from Nautobot worker pods or hosts to device IPs and ports (e.g., port 22 for SSH).
  4. Review error messages for error IDs and use as search keywords for targeted fixes.

  Tip: Settings for jobs or integrations are often found in the app-specific section of the Nautobot UI or config file.

• General Connectivity Problems:
  1. Ping or use nc/telnet from Nautobot hosts to devices and remote services to verify reachability.
  2. Check firewalls and access control lists between Nautobot and managed systems.
  3. For API-driven integrations, confirm tokens and endpoints are correct and active.

  Tip: Network latency or intermittent loss may cause timeouts—monitor with automation logs and adjust retry settings as needed.

Quick Checklist:

• Review both Nautobot and system/service logs for clues.
• Verify environment variables and configuration files are accurate and up to date.
• Test components one at a time to isolate the failure point.
• Consult Nautobot documentation or the user community for persistent or unusual errors.