The Art of Clean Code: Choosing PHP & Laravel for Network Automation

Understanding PHP & Laravel in Network Automation

When it comes to network automation, the choice of programming language and framework can significantly impact the efficiency and effectiveness of the automation process. PHP, a server-side scripting language, and Laravel, its accompanying web application framework, bring unique strengths to the table. PHP's long-standing presence in the web development world has equipped it with a rich set of features and a robust community. Laravel, built on PHP, enhances this with its elegant syntax, expressive and scalable architecture, making it particularly suited for complex automation tasks.

One of PHP's most notable strengths is its vast standard library, which offers extensive network-related functionalities. This enables developers to implement complex network automation scripts with relative ease. Laravel complements this by providing a high-level abstraction of common web development patterns, which can be adapted for network automation tasks. The framework's MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture ensures that code is not only clean but also well-organized, facilitating easier maintenance and updates.

The combination of PHP and Laravel also shines in terms of database integration. Laravel's Eloquent ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) provides a simple yet powerful way to interact with databases, essential for network automation tasks that involve data storage and retrieval. This integration streamlines the process, allowing for more efficient data handling and manipulation.

Moreover, Laravel's extensive package ecosystem, including tools specifically designed for network management and automation, allows developers to extend functionality and tailor solutions to specific automation needs. This flexibility, when combined with PHP's reliability and performance, presents a compelling case for their use in network automation scenarios.

In the following sections, we will explore the best practices, clean code benefits, and sustainable development advantages that PHP and Laravel offer for network automation, drawing comparisons with Python to highlight their unique strengths.

Best Practices in Network Automation with PHP & Laravel

In the world of network automation, adhering to best practices is not just a recommendation; it’s a necessity for ensuring efficient, reliable, and secure operations. PHP and Laravel offer a framework that naturally aligns with these best practices, providing a solid foundation for network automation tasks.

Firstly, the use of Laravel in network automation encourages adherence to the SOLID principles of object-oriented programming. These principles, which focus on single responsibility, open-closed, Liskov substitution, interface segregation, and dependency inversion, are essential for creating modular, manageable, and scalable code. PHP's object-oriented capabilities, combined with Laravel's structure, make it easier to apply these principles in practice.

Another best practice is the use of Laravel's built-in testing tools. Testing is a critical part of network automation to ensure the reliability and stability of network operations. Laravel's testing framework, integrated with PHP Unit, offers a robust environment for automated testing, allowing developers to write and run tests efficiently to catch and fix issues early in the development process.

Moreover, Laravel's queue system is a powerful tool for handling long-running tasks, a common requirement in network automation. This system allows tasks to be processed asynchronously, improving performance and reducing the risk of system overloads. Combined with PHP's native support for various protocols and server communications, Laravel's queue management enhances the scalability and responsiveness of network automation solutions.

Security is also paramount in network automation, and Laravel provides several built-in features to address this. Features such as CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) protection, secure authentication and authorization mechanisms, and encryption tools help safeguard network automation systems against common security threats.

This section has outlined key best practices in network automation and how PHP and Laravel facilitate adherence to these practices. The following section will dive deeper into the clean code aspects of PHP and Laravel in the context of network automation, further demonstrating their superiority in this domain.

Clean Code: PHP & Laravel's Structured Approach

The concept of clean code is crucial in software development, especially in areas like network automation where complexity and scalability are key concerns. PHP and Laravel excel in this regard by offering a structured approach that promotes readability, maintainability, and efficiency.

PHP's syntax is inherently clean and straightforward, making the code easy to read and understand. This simplicity is vital for teams working on complex network automation projects, ensuring that new team members can quickly get up to speed. Additionally, PHP's consistent coding standards and guidelines help maintain a uniform coding style across projects.

Laravel takes this a step further with its elegant and expressive syntax. The framework is designed to reduce boilerplate code, which not only makes the codebase more readable but also minimizes the chance of errors. Laravel's use of expressive methods and fluent chaining reduces complexity, making the code more intuitive and easier to follow.

The MVC architecture of Laravel plays a significant role in promoting clean code. By separating the business logic, data, and presentation layers, Laravel ensures that code is not only clean but also modular. This separation allows for more focused development and testing, leading to higher quality and more reliable network automation solutions.

Furthermore, Laravel's built-in template engine, Blade, enhances code cleanliness in the view layer. Blade's syntax is simple yet powerful, allowing for the creation of clean and dynamic templates without the clutter of PHP code in HTML. This separation of concerns further contributes to the maintainability and scalability of network automation systems developed with PHP and Laravel.

In the next section, we will explore how PHP and Laravel not only support clean coding practices but also facilitate sustainable code development, an essential aspect of long-term network automation strategies.

Sustainable Code Development with PHP & Laravel

By way of example, we will select from an existing use case. We will use a pretty simple use case develpoed by Mostafa Hassan, CCIE-SP, and you can read the details of his python based solution here. We will use the same use case and implement it using PHP and Laravel.

To summarise the use case, we will simply find all interfaces from an array of devices by logging into teach device in turn, and running a command to get the interfaces in the 'down' state. once we have the interfaces, we will save the output to display to the use via the CLI command.

Below is the array (known as a list in python) of devices, IPs and credentials.

            
$routers = [
'P1' => [
    'device_type' => 'cisco_ios',
    'ip' => '1.1.1.1',
    'username' => 'ccie',
    'password' => 'ccie',
    'port' => 22,
],
'P2' => [
    'device_type' => 'cisco_ios',
    'ip' => '2.2.2.2',
    'username' => 'ccie',
    'password' => 'ccie',
    'port' => 22,
],
'P3' => [
    'device_type' => 'cisco_ios',
    'ip' => '3.3.3.3',
    'username' => 'ccie',
    'password' => 'ccie',
    'port' => 22,
],
'P4' => [
    'device_type' => 'cisco_ios',
    'ip' => '4.4.4.4',
    'username' => 'ccie',
    'password' => 'ccie',
    'port' => 22,
],
];

            
        

Next we create an Artisan command in our laravel project like this;

            
php artisan make:command GetDownInterfaces
            
        

Next we will edit the file app/Console/Commands/GetDownInterfaces.php and add the following code;

            
<?php
use phpseclib3\Net\SSH2;

class GetDownInterfaces extends Command
    {
    protected $signature = 'network:admin-down';
    protected $description = 'Check for administratively down interfaces';

    public function handle()
    {
        $routers = [
            // Your router details here, e.g.,
            // ['ip' => '192.168.1.1', 'user' => 'username', 'password' => 'password'],
        ];

        foreach ($routers as $router) {
            $this->searchForAdminDownInterfaces($router);
        }
    }

    private function searchForAdminDownInterfaces($router)
    {
        $ssh = new SSH2($router['ip']);
        if (!$ssh->login($router['user'], $router['password'])) {
            $this->error("Login failed for router " . $router['ip']);
            return;
        }

        $prompt = $ssh->read();
        preg_match('/ (\w+)>/', $prompt, $hostnameMatches);
        $hostname = $hostnameMatches[1] ?? 'Unknown';

        $output = $ssh->exec('show ip int br include admin');
        preg_match_all('/ (GigabitEthernet\d\/\d)/', $output, $gigaMatches);
        preg_match_all('/ (Ethernet\d\/\d)/', $output, $ethernetMatches);

        $this->info("\n# For Device with hostname: $hostname and IP " . $router['ip'] . " #");
        $this->line('These are the administrative down interfaces:');
        foreach ($gigaMatches[1] as $interface) {
            $this->line($interface);
        }
        foreach ($ethernetMatches[1] as $interface) {
            $this->line($interface);
        }
    }
}
            
        

Next we will run the command like this;

            
php artisan network:admin-down
            
        

And the output will be like this;

            
# For Device with hostname: P1 and IP

These are the administrative down interfaces:
GigabitEthernet0/0
GigabitEthernet0/1
GigabitEthernet0/2
GigabitEthernet0/3
GigabitEthernet0/4
GigabitEthernet0/5


# For Device with hostname: P2 and IP

These are the administrative down interfaces:
GigabitEthernet0/0
GigabitEthernet0/1
GigabitEthernet0/2


# For Device with hostname: P3 and IP

These are the administrative down interfaces:
GigabitEthernet0/0


# For Device with hostname: P4 and IP

These are the administrative down interfaces:
GigabitEthernet0/4
GigabitEthernet0/5
            
            
        

As you can see, we have implemented the same use case using PHP and Laravel. The code is clean, easy to understand and maintain. We have used the well maintained phpseclib3 library to connect to the devices and run the commands. The library is well documented and easy to use. You can read more about it here.

Using the laravel framework, its easy to create sustainable code becuase we now have a central code base from where we can run all our network automation tasks. We can easily add more commands to the same code base and run them from the same place. We can also easily add a web interface to the same code base and run the commands from a web interface. We can also add a REST API to the same code base and run the commands from the API. This is the power of using a framework like laravel. We can easily scale our network automation solution as our needs grow. We can store the data output to a database with timestamps so we can record changes over time. We can easily call the command, and place it in the laravel queuing system by running the command from an internal script or API call per the exmaple below;

            
$exitCode = Artisan::queue('network:admin-down', [
    'user' => $user,
    'password' => $password,
    'ip' => $ip,
]);
            
         

This is a small example of how we can use PHP and Laravel to create a sustainable network automation solution.

Sustainable Code Development with PHP & Laravel

Sustainability in code development is about creating solutions that are not only effective today but also adaptable and maintainable in the long run. PHP and Laravel, with their robust ecosystem and forward-thinking design, are well-suited for developing sustainable network automation solutions.

One key aspect of sustainable code development is the ability to adapt to changing requirements. PHP's wide-ranging compatibility with various platforms and Laravel's modular architecture make them highly flexible. This flexibility allows for easy updates and integration of new features without overhauling the entire system, a critical factor in the ever-evolving field of network automation.

Maintainability is another crucial element of sustainable code. Laravel's emphasis on clean, readable, and well-structured code significantly eases the process of maintaining and updating the codebase. The framework's extensive documentation and large, active community further support long-term maintenance, offering abundant resources and support for developers.

Scalability is also a primary concern in network automation. PHP's performance efficiency and Laravel's ability to handle large-scale applications ensure that network automation systems can grow in line with organizational needs. Laravel's queue management, caching mechanisms, and efficient routing are specifically designed to handle high loads, making it an ideal choice for scalable network automation tasks.

Lastly, the sustainability of a codebase is also judged by its security features. Laravel's in-built security measures, such as user authentication, password hashing, and protection against common vulnerabilities, ensure that network automation systems are not only robust but also secure. These features are critical in protecting sensitive network data and maintaining the integrity of automation processes.

In conclusion, PHP and Laravel provide a comprehensive framework for developing sustainable, scalable, and secure network automation solutions. The next section will summarize the key points made in this article and reinforce the benefits of choosing PHP and Laravel over Python for network automation.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored the multifaceted benefits of using PHP and Laravel for network automation, particularly highlighting their advantages over Python in terms of best practices, clean code, and sustainable development. From the structured approach of PHP and Laravel that enhances readability and maintainability to their robust security features and scalable architecture, it's clear that these technologies offer a compelling alternative for network automation tasks.

Through detailed comparisons and insights, we've seen how PHP and Laravel not only meet but often exceed the requirements for effective, efficient, and future-proof network automation. Their strong community support, extensive libraries, and forward-thinking design make them ideal choices for developers looking to build robust, scalable, and sustainable network automation systems.

As the technology landscape continues to evolve, the choice of tools and technologies for network automation will be crucial in determining the success and longevity of these systems. PHP and Laravel, with their proven track record and continuous innovation, stand out as powerful allies in this journey. Whether you are a seasoned developer or just starting out in network automation, considering PHP and Laravel could be the key to unlocking more efficient, sustainable, and successful automation solutions.