Why Network Engineers Should Use Terraform to Define and Operate Modern Networks
By a CCIE-Certified Network Engineer
Terraform allows you to define your infrastructure in simple, declarative code. This includes switches, routers, firewalls, cloud networking components, and more. That code is stored in version control systems like Git, shared across teams, and used to build and manage infrastructure consistently and reliably.
The benefits of using Terraform in network operations are significant and go far beyond just automation, so we decided to make the Verity Native Terraform Provider do a lot of cool things that engineers have always wanted.
Repeatability and Consistency
Version Control and Auditability
Validation Before Deployment
The terraform plan command gives you a preview of what changes will be made before anything is applied. You can see which VLANs will be created, which routes will be added, or which ACLs will be updated. This pre-deployment visibility greatly reduces the chances of misconfiguration and allows for peer review of changes before they hit production.
Multi-Vendor Support
Integration with CI/CD Pipelines
Improved Collaboration
Brownfield Support
Unique to the Verity provider is a tool that allows you to convert your existing network into the necessary .tf files to enable your IaC workflows. When you run this single command, terraform resource files are generated on the local machine for all of the resources that exist in the Verity-managed network. This is essentially the equivalent of turning your entire network into code so you can easily modify the text files and run terraform plan & terraform apply to change the network state. Details on this functionality are located in the State Importer section of the docs.
Conclusion
For decades, network engineers have been masters of the CLI. But as infrastructure becomes more complex and dynamic, we need tools that can scale with the demands of modern IT. The Verity Terraform Provider enables the discipline, flexibility, and efficiency of software engineering into the world of networking. It is not just an automation tool; it is a strategic enabler for more agile and reliable network operations. If you are not using it yet, now is the time to start!
Josh Saul
VP Product Marketing
Josh Saul has pioneered open source network solutions for more than 25 years. As an architect, he built core networks for GE, Pfizer and NBC Universal. As an engineer at Cisco, Josh advised customers in the Fortune 100 financial sector and evangelized new technologies to customers. More recently, Josh led marketing and product teams at VMware (acquired by Broadcom), Cumulus Networks (acquired by Nvidia), and Apstra (acquired by Juniper).
