Nautobot Workshop Blog Series - Part 4 Building ContainerLab topology from the Nautobot Inventory
Nautobot Workshop Blog Series
“Nautobot Workshop” is a blog series that guides you through building a fully automated network lab using Nautobot, Containerlab, and Docker. Starting from environment setup on Ubuntu, each post will walk through deploying Nautobot with nautobot-docker-compose, modeling network topologies with Containerlab and vrnetlab-based routers, and populating Nautobot with real device data using Ansible. You’ll also learn how to use Nautobot’s GraphQL API for dynamic inventory, generate device configurations with Jinja2 templates, and enforce configuration compliance using the Golden Config plugin. This series is ideal for network engineers looking to integrate source of truth, automation, and lab simulation into a streamlined workflow.
Part 4: Building ContainerLab topology from the Nautobot Inventory
Using GraphQL and Ansible
The easiest way to pull data from Nautobot that gathers all data you might require for a Jinja2 template using Ansible is the GraphQL query module. We can pull all devices, their interfaces, and connected interface details with a single query and use those variables to populate a template.
Nautobot has a GraphQL sandbox that can be used to test queries, and provide helpful auto completion of fields that might be available to models you want data returned for. This can be easily accessed by using the GraphQL link on the bottom right of any page in the Nautobot App.
In this example above we use a simple json like structure for the query
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{
devices {
name
}
}
Which produces the output in json format
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{
"data": {
"devices": [
{
"name": "CE1"
},
{
"name": "CE2"
},
{
"name": "East-Leaf01"
},
{
"name": "East-Leaf02"
},
{
"name": "East-Spine01"
},
{
"name": "East-Spine02"
},
{
"name": "P1"
},
{
"name": "P2"
},
{
"name": "P3"
},
{
"name": "P4"
},
{
"name": "PE1"
},
{
"name": "PE2"
},
{
"name": "PE3"
},
{
"name": "RR1"
},
{
"name": "West-Leaf01"
},
{
"name": "West-Leaf02"
},
{
"name": "West-Spine01"
},
{
"name": "West-Spine02"
},
{
"name": "clabbr220"
}
]
}
}
We can add filtering to the devices we want to query
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{
devices (role: "Provider Router") {
name
}
}
The filtered results
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{
"data": {
"devices": [
{
"name": "P1"
},
{
"name": "P2"
},
{
"name": "P3"
},
{
"name": "P4"
}
]
}
}
Because this sandbox will only have the devices we need for our lab topology we will not require any filters at this time. However we do want specific details on the devices and their interfaces so that we can properly provision and connect the virtualized nodes in our topology.
First lets create add to our Ansible Playbook from the previous post. We will comment out the “load_nautobot” role because this should already have been done in the previous task, we will leave it here because we want this to be a repeatable process that can be run inside a new sandbox at anytime.
```yaml
---
- name: Populate Nautobot & Generate Containerlab topology from Nautobot
hosts: localhost
gather_facts: false
roles:
# - load_nautobot
- build_clab_topology
Under your roles folder add a new folder for the role, create a main.yml under the task folder and a containerlab_topology.j2 under the templates folder.
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(.ansible) ubuntu@containerlabs:~/Nautobot-Workshop/ansible-lab$ mkdir -p roles/build_clab_topology/tasks
(.ansible) ubuntu@containerlabs:~/Nautobot-Workshop/ansible-lab$ touch roles/build_clab_topology/tasks/main.yml
(.ansible) ubuntu@containerlabs:~/Nautobot-Workshop/ansible-lab$ mkdir -p roles/build_clab_topology/templates/
(.ansible) ubuntu@containerlabs:~/Nautobot-Workshop/ansible-lab$ touch roles/build_clab_topology/templates/containerlab_topology.j2
(.ansible) ubuntu@containerlabs:~/Nautobot-Workshop/ansible-lab$ tree roles/
roles/
├── build_clab_topology
│ ├── tasks
│ │ └── main.yml
│ └── templates
│ └── containerlab_topology.j2
└── load_nautobot
└── tasks
└── main.yml
6 directories, 3 files
In our main.yml under the tasks folder we will build the tasks to perform the GraphQL query and then template the output into a new YAML file called containerlab-topology.yml. Beisdes the device name and interfaces, the model, platform and software version, and connected interfaces are important because we will use those variable in our Jinja template that builds the topology.
main.yml:
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---
- name: Get data from Nautobot
networktocode.nautobot.query_graphql:
url: ""
token: ""
validate_certs: false
query: |
{
devices {
name
device_type{
model
manufacturer {
name
}
}
platform {
name
}
software_version {
version
}
interfaces {
name
mgmt_only
ip_addresses {
address
}
connected_interface {
name
device {
name
}
}
}
}
}
register: "nb_devices"
- name: Create initial Configs for each device
template:
src: "initial_configs.j2"
dest: "~/Nautobot-Workshop/clabs/startup-configs/.txt.partial"
loop: ""
- name: Render Containerlab topology
template:
src: "containerlab_topology.j2"
dest: "~/Nautobot-Workshop/clabs/containerlab-topology.yml"
Update the templates/initial_configs.j2 file with the following
#jinja2: lstrip_blocks: True, trim_blocks: True
{% if item.device_type.model == "iol" %}
vrf definition clabbr220
description clabbr220
!
address-family ipv4
exit-address-family
!
address-family ipv6
exit-address-family
!
{% for int in item.interfaces if int.mgmt_only == true %}
interface {{ int.name }}
vrf forwarding clabbr220
{% for addr in int.ip_addresses %}
ip address {{ addr.address | ipaddr('address') }} {{ addr.address | ipaddr('netmask') }}
{% endfor %}
no shutdown
{% endfor %}
!
{% for int in item.interfaces if int.mgmt_only == true %}
ip route vrf clabbr220 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 {{ int.name }} 192.168.220.1
{% endfor %}
{% elif item.device_type.model == "ceos" %}
vrf instance clabbr220
description clabbr220
!
{% for int in item.interfaces if int.mgmt_only == true %}
interface {{ int.name }}
no switchport
vrf forwarding clabbr220
{% for addr in int.ip_addresses %}
ip address {{ addr.address | ipaddr('address') }} {{ addr.address | ipaddr('netmask') }}
{% endfor %}
no shutdown
{% endfor %}
!
{% for int in item.interfaces if int.mgmt_only == true %}
ip route vrf clabbr220 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 {{ int.name }} 192.168.220.1
{% endfor %}
{% endif %}
Update the templates/containerlab_topology.j2 file with the following
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#jinja2: lstrip_blocks: True, trim_blocks: True
{% set delay_targets = ["vrnetlab/vr-xrv9k", "vrnetlab/n9kv"] %}
{% set global_delay = [0] %}
name: nautobot_workshop
topology:
nodes:
{% for device in nb_devices["data"]["devices"] %}
{% if device.software_version is not none and device.platform is not none %}
{% set model = device.device_type.model | lower %}
{% if "ceos" in model %}
{% set kind = "ceos" %}
{% set image = "ceos:" ~ device.software_version.version %}
{% else %}
{% set kind = (device.device_type.manufacturer.name ~ "_" ~ device.device_type.model) | lower %}
{% set image_base = "vrnetlab/" ~ kind %}
{% set image = image_base ~ ":" ~ device.software_version.version %}
{% endif %}
{{ device.name }}:
kind: {{ kind }}
image: {{ image }}
{% if image_base is defined and image_base in delay_targets %}
startup-delay: {{ global_delay[0] * 30 }}
{% set _ = global_delay.append(global_delay.pop() + 1) %}
{% endif %}
env:
HOSTNAME: {{ device.name }}
{% endif %}
{% if device.name == "clabbr220" %}
clabbr220:
kind: bridge
{% endif %}
{% endfor %}
links:
{% set ns = {'seen': []} %}
{% for device in nb_devices["data"]["devices"] %}
{% if device.software_version is not none and device.platform is not none %}
{% for iface in device.interfaces %}
{% if iface.connected_interface %}
{% set local = device.name ~ ':' ~ iface.name %}
{% set remote = iface.connected_interface.device.name ~ ':' ~ iface.connected_interface.name %}
{% set endpoints = [local, remote]|sort %}
{% if endpoints not in ns.seen %}
- endpoints: ["{{ endpoints[0] }}", "{{ endpoints[1] }}"]
{% set _ = ns.seen.append(endpoints) %}
{% endif %}
{% endif %}
{% endfor %}
{% endif %}
{% endfor %}
This Jinja2 template dynamically generates the Containerlab topology file based on device data retrieved from Nautobot via GraphQL. It filters out any devices that are missing a software_version or platform, ensuring only complete and deployable nodes are included. For each eligible device, it sets the appropriate kind and image based on the device type and software version—using a custom image naming convention for standard nodes and a simplified image tag for cEOS nodes. Devices that match specific image types (like vr-xrv9k or n9kv) receive a calculated startup-delay to avoid startup conflicts. Special logic is included for a device named clabbr220, which is designated as a bridge node rather than a container, enabling external host interface mapping for connectivity testing or hybrid topologies. The links section builds connections between interfaces by inspecting mutual connections and ensures each link is only declared once using a deduplication mechanism. The result is a topology that accurately reflects the modeled lab environment while supporting external L2 integration and startup timing for complex images.
I am using a trunked port for my container lab deployment and so I can add additional vlans to my Ubuntu host operating system. I am going to use this method to create a new interface that uses vlan 220 for the mgmt of my virtual devices. In my netplan config I’ve added a new interface with the vlan id and no IP addressing. I’ve also added a bridge called clabbr220 included my new tagged interface. I can then reference the name of this bridge in my containerlab topology file and connect a virtualized nodes interface to it. We will assign our management addressing to these interfaces in our intitial configurations which the virtualized nodes will use on boot.
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network:
vlans:
bond0.220:
id: 220
link: bond0
dhcp4: false
dhcp6: false
bridges:
clabbr220:
interfaces: [bond0.220]
parameters:
stp: false
forward-delay: 0
dhcp4: no
With the topology file built we can start the containerlab up
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(.venv) ubuntu@containerlabs:~/Nautobot-Workshop/clabs$ containerlab deploy -t containerlab-topology.yml --reconfigure
04:17:03 INFO Containerlab started version=0.68.0
04:17:03 INFO Parsing & checking topology file=containerlab-topology.yml
04:17:03 INFO Destroying lab name=nautobot_workshop
04:17:04 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-P2
04:17:04 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-CE1
04:17:05 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-RR1
04:17:05 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-CE2
04:17:05 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-P1
04:17:05 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-P4
04:17:05 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-PE3
04:17:05 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-PE1
04:17:05 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-PE2
04:17:05 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-P3
04:17:06 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-West-Spine01
04:17:06 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-East-Spine01
04:17:06 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-East-Leaf01
04:17:06 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-East-Leaf02
04:17:06 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-West-Spine02
04:17:06 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-West-Leaf02
04:17:06 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-East-Spine02
04:17:06 INFO Removed container name=clab-nautobot_workshop-West-Leaf01
04:17:06 INFO Removing host entries path=/etc/hosts
04:17:06 INFO Removing SSH config path=/etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/clab-nautobot_workshop.conf
04:17:06 INFO Removing directory path=/home/ubuntu/Nautobot-Workshop/clabs/clab-nautobot_workshop
04:17:06 INFO Creating lab directory path=/home/ubuntu/Nautobot-Workshop/clabs/clab-nautobot_workshop
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=East-Spine02
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=West-Leaf01
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=East-Leaf02
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=P4
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=PE2
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=RR1
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=P1
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=P2
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=East-Spine01
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=PE1
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=CE2
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=West-Spine01
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=West-Leaf02
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=West-Spine02
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=P3
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=CE1
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=East-Leaf01
04:17:07 INFO Creating container name=PE3
04:17:08 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth12 ▪┄┄▪ East-Spine02:eth8
04:17:08 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Arista cEOS 'East-Spine02' node
04:17:09 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth5 ▪┄┄▪ PE2:eth4 (Ethernet1/0)
04:17:09 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'PE2' node
04:17:09 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth13 ▪┄┄▪ West-Leaf01:eth8
04:17:09 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Arista cEOS 'West-Leaf01' node
04:17:09 INFO Created link: West-Leaf01:eth2 ▪┄┄▪ West-Spine02:eth1
04:17:09 INFO Created link: CE1:eth2 (Ethernet0/2) ▪┄┄▪ West-Leaf01:eth7
04:17:09 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth7 ▪┄┄▪ RR1:eth4 (Ethernet1/0)
04:17:09 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'RR1' node
04:17:09 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth16 ▪┄┄▪ West-Spine02:eth8
04:17:09 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Arista cEOS 'West-Spine02' node
04:17:09 INFO Created link: CE1:eth3 (Ethernet0/3) ▪┄┄▪ West-Spine02:eth7
04:17:10 INFO Created link: P1:eth4 (Ethernet1/0) ▪┄┄▪ RR1:eth1 (Ethernet0/1)
04:17:10 INFO Created link: CE1:eth4 (Ethernet1/0) ▪┄┄▪ clabbr220:eth8
04:17:10 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'CE1' node
04:17:10 INFO Created link: P1:eth1 (Ethernet0/1) ▪┄┄▪ P2:eth1 (Ethernet0/1)
04:17:10 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth6 ▪┄┄▪ PE3:eth4 (Ethernet1/0)
04:17:10 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'PE3' node
04:17:10 INFO Created link: CE2:eth1 (Ethernet0/1) ▪┄┄▪ PE2:eth3 (Ethernet0/3)
04:17:10 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth0 ▪┄┄▪ P1:eth6 (Ethernet1/2)
04:17:10 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'P1' node
04:17:10 INFO Created link: P2:eth3 (Ethernet0/3) ▪┄┄▪ RR1:eth2 (Ethernet0/2)
04:17:10 INFO Created link: P2:eth4 (Ethernet1/0) ▪┄┄▪ PE3:eth1 (Ethernet0/1)
04:17:10 INFO Created link: P2:eth2 (Ethernet0/2) ▪┄┄▪ P4:eth2 (Ethernet0/2)
04:17:11 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth1 ▪┄┄▪ P2:eth5 (Ethernet1/1)
04:17:11 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'P2' node
04:17:11 INFO Created link: CE2:eth3 (Ethernet0/3) ▪┄┄▪ East-Spine02:eth7
04:17:11 INFO Created link: East-Leaf01:eth2 ▪┄┄▪ East-Spine02:eth1
04:17:11 INFO Created link: P4:eth3 (Ethernet0/3) ▪┄┄▪ PE2:eth2 (Ethernet0/2)
04:17:11 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth10 ▪┄┄▪ East-Leaf01:eth8
04:17:11 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Arista cEOS 'East-Leaf01' node
04:17:11 INFO Created link: CE2:eth4 (Ethernet1/0) ▪┄┄▪ clabbr220:eth9
04:17:11 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'CE2' node
04:17:11 INFO Created link: P4:eth4 (Ethernet1/0) ▪┄┄▪ PE3:eth2 (Ethernet0/2)
04:17:11 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth3 ▪┄┄▪ P4:eth5 (Ethernet1/1)
04:17:11 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'P4' node
04:17:11 INFO Created link: East-Leaf02:eth2 ▪┄┄▪ East-Spine02:eth2
04:17:11 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth11 ▪┄┄▪ East-Leaf02:eth8
04:17:11 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Arista cEOS 'East-Leaf02' node
04:17:11 INFO Created link: CE2:eth2 (Ethernet0/2) ▪┄┄▪ East-Spine01:eth7
04:17:11 INFO Created link: East-Leaf01:eth1 ▪┄┄▪ East-Spine01:eth1
04:17:11 INFO Created link: West-Leaf01:eth1 ▪┄┄▪ West-Spine01:eth1
04:17:12 INFO Created link: West-Leaf02:eth2 ▪┄┄▪ West-Spine02:eth2
04:17:12 INFO Created link: West-Leaf02:eth1 ▪┄┄▪ West-Spine01:eth2
04:17:12 INFO Created link: East-Leaf02:eth1 ▪┄┄▪ East-Spine01:eth2
04:17:12 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth15 ▪┄┄▪ West-Spine01:eth8
04:17:12 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Arista cEOS 'West-Spine01' node
04:17:12 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth14 ▪┄┄▪ West-Leaf02:eth8
04:17:12 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Arista cEOS 'West-Leaf02' node
04:17:12 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth17 ▪┄┄▪ East-Spine01:eth8
04:17:12 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Arista cEOS 'East-Spine01' node
04:17:12 INFO Created link: CE1:eth1 (Ethernet0/1) ▪┄┄▪ PE1:eth3 (Ethernet0/3)
04:17:12 INFO Created link: P1:eth5 (Ethernet1/1) ▪┄┄▪ PE1:eth1 (Ethernet0/1)
04:17:12 INFO Created link: P1:eth2 (Ethernet0/2) ▪┄┄▪ P3:eth2 (Ethernet0/2)
04:17:12 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth4 ▪┄┄▪ PE1:eth4 (Ethernet1/0)
04:17:12 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'PE1' node
04:17:12 INFO Created link: P3:eth1 (Ethernet0/1) ▪┄┄▪ P4:eth1 (Ethernet0/1)
04:17:12 INFO Created link: P3:eth3 (Ethernet0/3) ▪┄┄▪ PE1:eth2 (Ethernet0/2)
04:17:12 INFO Created link: P3:eth4 (Ethernet1/0) ▪┄┄▪ PE2:eth1 (Ethernet0/1)
04:17:12 INFO Created link: clabbr220:eth2 ▪┄┄▪ P3:eth5 (Ethernet1/1)
04:17:12 INFO Running postdeploy actions for Cisco IOL 'P3' node
04:17:56 INFO Adding host entries path=/etc/hosts
04:17:56 INFO Adding SSH config for nodes path=/etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/clab-nautobot_workshop.conf
╭─────────────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────┬─────────┬────────────────────╮
│ Name │ Kind/Image │ State │ IPv4/6 Address │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-CE1 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.7 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::7 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-CE2 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.11 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::b │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-East-Leaf01 │ ceos │ running │ 172.20.20.13 │
│ │ ceos:4.34.0F │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::d │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-East-Leaf02 │ ceos │ running │ 172.20.20.14 │
│ │ ceos:4.34.0F │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::e │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-East-Spine01 │ ceos │ running │ 172.20.20.15 │
│ │ ceos:4.34.0F │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::f │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-East-Spine02 │ ceos │ running │ 172.20.20.3 │
│ │ ceos:4.34.0F │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::3 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-P1 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.8 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::8 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-P2 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.10 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::a │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-P3 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.19 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::13 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-P4 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.12 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::c │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-PE1 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.18 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::12 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-PE2 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.2 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::2 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-PE3 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.9 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::9 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-RR1 │ cisco_iol │ running │ 172.20.20.6 │
│ │ vrnetlab/cisco_iol:17.12.01 │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::6 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-West-Leaf01 │ ceos │ running │ 172.20.20.4 │
│ │ ceos:4.34.0F │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::4 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-West-Leaf02 │ ceos │ running │ 172.20.20.17 │
│ │ ceos:4.34.0F │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::11 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-West-Spine01 │ ceos │ running │ 172.20.20.16 │
│ │ ceos:4.34.0F │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::10 │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┼─────────┼────────────────────┤
│ clab-nautobot_workshop-West-Spine02 │ ceos │ running │ 172.20.20.5 │
│ │ ceos:4.34.0F │ │ 3fff:172:20:20::5 │
╰─────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────┴─────────┴────────────────────╯
You should now be able to ping the MGMT interfaces on all of you virtual routers. We used 192.168.220.x and you should be able to ping any of the assigned IPs of you virtual routers.
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2
3
4
$ ping 192.168.220.3
PING 192.168.220.3 (192.168.220.3) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 192.168.220.3: icmp_seq=1 ttl=253 time=7.27 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.220.3: icmp_seq=2 ttl=253 time=1.65 ms
Conclusion
With Part 4 complete, we’ve successfully automated the generation of a fully connected Containerlab topology using Nautobot as the dynamic source of truth. By leveraging GraphQL, Ansible, and Jinja2, we’ve demonstrated how to extract structured device and interface data directly from Nautobot and translate it into a deployable lab environment—bridging the gap between inventory and infrastructure. This approach not only accelerates lab provisioning but ensures consistency and accuracy across virtual topologies. In the next post, we’ll take it a step further by pushing validated configurations to devices and exploring configuration compliance with Nautobot’s Golden Config plugin. Stay tuned as we continue building a production-grade automated lab workflow.