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Getting Help

If you encounter any issues installing or using NetBox, try one of the following resources to get assistance. Please do not open a GitHub issue except to report bugs or request features.

Mailing List

We have established a Google Groups Mailing List for issues and general discussion. This is the best forum for obtaining assistance with NetBox installation. You can find us here.

Slack

For real-time discussion, you can join the #netbox Slack channel on NetworkToCode.

Reporting Bugs

  • First, ensure that you're running the latest stable version of NetBox. If you're running an older version, it's possible that the bug has already been fixed.

  • Next, check the GitHub issues list to see if the bug you've found has already been reported. If you think you may be experiencing a reported issue that hasn't already been resolved, please click "add a reaction" in the top right corner of the issue and add a thumbs up (+1). You might also want to add a comment describing how it's affecting your installation. This will allow us to prioritize bugs based on how many users are affected.

  • When submitting an issue, please be as descriptive as possible. Be sure to provide all information request in the issue template, including:

    • The environment in which NetBox is running
    • The exact steps that can be taken to reproduce the issue
    • Expected and observed behavior
    • Any error messages generated
    • Screenshots (if applicable)

  • Please avoid prepending any sort of tag (e.g. "[Bug]") to the issue title. The issue will be reviewed by a maintainer after submission and the appropriate labels will be applied for categorization.

  • Keep in mind that we prioritize bugs based on their severity and how much work is required to resolve them. It may take some time for someone to address your issue.

  • For more information on how bug reports are handled, please see our issue intake policy.

Feature Requests

  • First, check the GitHub issues list to see if the feature you're requesting is already listed. (Be sure to search closed issues as well, since some feature requests have been rejected.) If the feature you'd like to see has already been requested and is open, click "add a reaction" in the top right corner of the issue and add a thumbs up (+1). This ensures that the issue has a better chance of receiving attention. Also feel free to add a comment with any additional justification for the feature. (However, note that comments with no substance other than a "+1" will be deleted. Please use GitHub's reactions feature to indicate your support.)

  • Due to a large backlog of feature requests, we are not currently accepting any proposals which substantially extend NetBox's functionality beyond its current feature set. This includes the introduction of any new views or models which have not already been proposed in an existing feature request.

  • Before filing a new feature request, consider raising your idea on the mailing list first. Feedback you receive there will help validate and shape the proposed feature before filing a formal issue.

  • Good feature requests are very narrowly defined. Be sure to thoroughly describe the functionality and data model(s) being proposed. The more effort you put into writing a feature request, the better its chance is of being implemented. Overly broad feature requests will be closed.

  • When submitting a feature request on GitHub, be sure to include all information requested by the issue template, including:

    • A detailed description of the proposed functionality
    • A use case for the feature; who would use it and what value it would add to NetBox
    • A rough description of changes necessary to the database schema (if applicable)
    • Any third-party libraries or other resources which would be involved

  • Please avoid prepending any sort of tag (e.g. "[Feature]") to the issue title. The issue will be reviewed by a moderator after submission and the appropriate labels will be applied for categorization.

  • For more information on how feature requests are handled, please see our issue intake policy.

Submitting Pull Requests

  • Be sure to open an issue before starting work on a pull request, and discuss your idea with the NetBox maintainers before beginning work. This will help prevent wasting time on something that might we might not be able to implement. When suggesting a new feature, also make sure it won't conflict with any work that's already in progress.

  • Any pull request which does not relate to an accepted issue will be closed.

  • All major new functionality must include relevant tests where applicable.

  • When submitting a pull request, please be sure to work off of the develop branch, rather than master. The develop branch is used for ongoing development, while master is used for tagging stable releases.

  • All code submissions should meet the following criteria (CI will enforce these checks):

    • Python syntax is valid
    • All tests pass when run with ./manage.py test
    • PEP 8 compliance is enforced, with the exception that lines may be greater than 80 characters in length

Commenting

Only comment on an issue if you are sharing a relevant idea or constructive feedback. Do not comment on an issue just to show your support (give the top post a 👍 instead) or ask for an ETA. These comments will be deleted to reduce noise in the discussion.

Issue Lifecycle

New issues are handled according to our issue intake policy. Maintainers will assign label(s) and/or close new issues as the policy dictates. This helps ensure a productive development environment and avoid accumulating a large backlog of work.

The core maintainers group has chosen to make use of GitHub's Stale bot to aid in issue management.

  • Issues will be marked as stale after 14 days of no activity.
  • Then after 7 more days of inactivity, the issue will be closed.
  • Any issue bearing one of the following labels will be exempt from all Stale bot actions:
    • status: accepted
    • status: gathering feedback
    • status: blocked

It is natural that some new issues get more attention than others. Often this is a metric of an issues's overall value to the project. In other cases in which issues merely get lost in the shuffle, notifications from Stale bot can bring renewed attention to potentially meaningful issues.

Maintainer Guidance

  • Maintainers are expected to contribute at least four hours per week to the project on average. This can be employer-sponsored or individual time, with the understanding that all contributions are submitted under the Apache 2.0 license and that your employer may not make claim to any contributions. Contributions include code work, issue management, and community support. All development must be in accordance with our development guidance.

  • Maintainers are expected to attend (where feasible) our biweekly ~30-minute sync to review agenda items. This meeting provides opportunity to present and discuss pressing topics. Meetings are held as virtual audio/video conferences.

  • Official channels for communication include:

  • Maintainers with no substantial recorded activity in a 60-day period will be removed from the project.