The architecture of the Netpicker Automation Platform is designed to deliver AI-assisted script generation with flexibility and robustness across diverse network environments. Here is an overview of each main component:

• AI Core Engine: Processes natural language requests and understands user intents, translating them into well-structured automation tasks tailored for network operations.
• Script Generation Module: Converts interpreted requirements into executable automation scripts, supporting a range of output languages and formats for multi-vendor compatibility.
• Device Abstraction Layer: Normalizes scripting commands, ensuring consistent deployment and management across different network vendors’ devices.
• Validation & Testing Suite: Simulates or performs dry runs of generated scripts, allowing users to verify functionality and correct issues before any changes reach production devices.
• Extensibility API: Empowers users to integrate custom plugins, script handlers, and code libraries to match unique operational requirements or to extend support for new platforms.

The Netpicker Automation Platform is engineered for versatility, providing broad support for network vendors and protocols to enable seamless automation across complex infrastructure. Below is a summary of platform support:

• Cisco IOS, IOS XE, XR: Comprehensive automation with SSH, NETCONF, RESTCONF interfaces for configuration and compliance management.
• Juniper Junos: Supports SSH and NETCONF, delivering robust testing and scripting capabilities for enterprise-grade Juniper networks.
• Arista EOS: Partial support using SSH and eAPI for flexible command execution and script deployment.
• Palo Alto PAN-OS: Partial support via SSH and REST API, streamlining security device management tasks.
• Fortinet FortiOS: Partial support leveraging SSH for script-driven automation routines.
• Multi-Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure): Facilitates cloud automation with API, CLI, and SDK integration, unifying on-premises and cloud workflows.
• Other Vendors: Built with Python’s Netmiko library, Netpicker extends automation to 100+ additional vendors including Aruba, Check Point, F5, and others, using standard protocols primarily centered on SSH-based communication.

*Vendor and protocol support depends on device capabilities and Netmiko integration.

The Netpicker Automation Platform offers a flexible set of output formats to ensure generated automation scripts are readily usable across different network environments and toolchains. Here’s an overview of the available options:

• Python Scripts: Generate Python code leveraging libraries like Netmiko, NAPALM, or Paramiko, designed for direct device interactions and scalable automation tasks.
• Ansible YAML Playbooks: Output ready-to-run playbooks that can integrate into Ansible-driven workflows for orchestrated multi-device automation and configuration management.
• Bash Shell Scripts: Create bash scripts for rapid execution of CLI commands, suitable for Unix/Linux-based network operations.
• Native CLI Command Sets: Produce command-line interface commands, formatted for bulk pasting and execution on network device consoles or through remote sessions.
• REST API JSON Payloads: Export scripts as JSON-formatted payloads for use with device and cloud platform REST APIs, supporting infrastructure-as-code and programmatic provisioning.

The Netpicker Automation Platform integrates advanced security and compliance capabilities to help organizations protect their networks and meet regulatory requirements. The features below are designed to automate risk assessment, enforce best practices, and ensure ongoing visibility:

• Automated Configuration Backups: Schedules and manages backups for all supported network devices, retaining configuration history and enabling fast restoration or rollback as needed.
• Continuous Compliance Monitoring: Checks device configurations against custom and pre-built rules, including industry standards such as CIS benchmarks and CVE vulnerability databases.
• Real-Time Policy Enforcement: Validates device state in real time, immediately flagging violations of security, design, or operational requirements.
• Audit Trails & Reporting: Maintains full audit logs, generates compliance reports, and provides historical records for tracking compliance status and investigating incidents.
• Automated Remediation Guidance: Offers actionable recommendations and fix details for any detected non-compliance or vulnerabilities within the platform's reports.
• Golden Configuration Management: Identifies, stores, and compares device configs with known-good baselines to detect drift and maintain secure configurations.
• Regulatory Compliance Support: Provides built-in policy frameworks for aligning with external standards (such as NIS2, ISO 27001), with customizable reporting to support internal and external audits.
• Pre-Built & Custom Rules: Includes out-of-the-box rules for security and operational compliance, plus support for user-defined policies tailored to unique enterprise needs.

The workflow integration features of the Netpicker Automation Platform are crafted to align network automation with enterprise processes, CI/CD pipelines, and external platforms. These capabilities support seamless orchestration, change management, and validation across the entire automation lifecycle:

• Automated Workflow Orchestration: Schedule, chain, and trigger multi-step automation jobs. Netpicker allows you to define job sequences—such as device backups, bulk configuration rollouts, or VLAN provisioning—running tasks in parallel or in ordered batches.
• Job Scheduling & Recurrence: Set recurring jobs on custom intervals (daily, weekly, monthly) for proactive network maintenance, regular compliance checks, or configuration backups.
• Scripting & Extensibility: Incorporate custom Python scripts and templates directly into workflows, or create modular actions that respond to device events and operational triggers.
• Integration with External Systems: Connect to platforms such as NetBox, Nautobot, Infoblox, ServiceNow, and Remedy using RESTful APIs, supporting synchronization, asset tracking, change management, and ticketing coordination.
• CI/CD Pipeline Enablement: Integrate automated tests and checks with network CI/CD systems like Infrahub, enabling pre-deployment validation, compliance enforcement, and design rule checks before changes reach production.
• Change Management Alignment: Synchronize workflow automation with enterprise change processes, automatically generating or updating change tickets and aligning jobs with ITIL or business requirements.
• Audit Logging & Historical Reporting: Maintain an end-to-end record of workflow executions, job outcomes, and change activities for traceability, compliance, and post-operation review.
• GUI & API Access: Orchestrate and monitor workflows through a user-friendly interface or programmatically via API, supporting both visual and code-driven workflow models.

The troubleshooting and error handling capabilities of the Netpicker Automation Platform are designed to help network engineers rapidly identify, diagnose, and resolve issues during automation and validation. Below is an overview of how the platform supports a resilient and transparent automation experience:

• Automated Error Detection: Instantly notifies users of any failed automation tasks, validation problems, or unexpected test results during execution.
• Contextual Error Messages: Provides detailed, actionable feedback accompanying each error, including API response codes, script line numbers, and device-level information for faster root cause identification.
• Pre-Execution Script Validation: Analyzes scripts for common issues and best practice deviations before running them on live devices, reducing the risk of unintended changes or outages.
• Dry Run and Simulation Modes: Supports non-intrusive dry runs, allowing users to see the outcome of scripts without impacting production environments.
• Automated Rollback: Enables rollback to previous stable configurations or un-doing failed changes at the click of a button when an error is detected.
• Comprehensive Logging: Maintains detailed job logs and historical records of errors, warnings, resolutions, and device responses for audit and review.
• Integration with Ticketing & Alerting: Automatically generates incident tickets or sends alert notifications to external systems (such as ServiceNow, Jira, Slack) when errors occur.

The Netpicker Automation Platform is built with flexibility in mind, making it easy to tailor and extend network automation workflows for diverse operational requirements. Here’s how users can customize and expand their automation environment:

• Custom Python Tests: Write and integrate your own Python-based tests to validate specific network conditions, leveraging direct access to device data, CLI output, and third-party libraries.
• Community-Contributed Test Libraries: Import and use shared test templates from the Netpicker community, or contribute your own to accelerate common automation and compliance scenarios.
• Reusable Test Templates: Develop modular test templates specifying standard policies, best practices, or configuration checks—enabling faster deployment and easier maintenance.
• Dynamic Integration with External Systems: Connect to NetBox and external sources via built-in objects and APIs, supporting dynamic inventory, real-time data fetch, and validation against source-of-truth platforms.
• Extensible Plugin System: Enhance platform capabilities through plugins that add vendor support, automate repetitive actions, or provide integrations with chatbots and notification platforms.
• AI-Assisted Test & Script Generator: Use the integrated AI assistant to quickly generate scripts or tests—simply describe your scenario, and let Netpicker produce the code for on-demand validation or automation.
• Open Data Model & Git Integration: Export and import tests, device backups, and configuration data using an open data model stored in Git. This supports advanced versioning, code review, and collaborative workflows.
• Custom Job Orchestration: Design custom automation jobs, schedule them, and combine multiple checks or actions to suit your organization’s exact operational processes.

The Netpicker Automation Platform supports users with a rich set of documentation and learning resources, empowering both beginners and advanced engineers to master automation at every level. Here’s how to get started and leverage the platform’s support ecosystem:

• Knowledge Base: Access comprehensive articles covering setup, device onboarding, configuration backup, advanced test customization, NetBox integration, and troubleshooting guidance within the platform’s web-based knowledge base.
• API & Developer Documentation: Explore extensive API docs and practical examples to enable integration, programmatic automation, and custom development.
• Getting Started Guides: Step-by-step tutorials walk users through installation, initial configuration, connecting devices, and running their first network tests.
• Interactive Workshops & Videos: Participate in hands-on tutorials, recorded webinars, and live streams. These sessions demonstrate real-world workflows, CI/CD integration, and advanced test authoring.
• Community Support: Join a dedicated community forum and chat channels for peer discussion, Q&A, and sharing reusable test libraries and scripts.
• Sample Test & Script Repositories: Access example scripts, test cases, and reusable configurations via public repositories for rapid prototyping and sharing best practices.
• In-Platform Help: Benefit from contextual tooltips, guided walkthroughs, and inline help directly within the Netpicker interface for quick answers while you work.
• Open Source Contributions: Leverage and contribute to open repositories—expand the platform with your own scripts, integrations, and improvements in collaboration with the broader automation community.

The following change log outlines the major feature releases, platform updates, and improvements introduced over time in the Netpicker Automation Platform. Each release is focused on enhancing functionality, expanding platform support, and improving user experience.