Terraform Provider for GNS3

Overview

The Terraform Provider for GNS3 allows network engineers and DevOps professionals to automate the deployment and management of GNS3 network topologies using Terraform. This provider eliminates manual setup by enabling Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for network emulation environments.

Features

Create and manage GNS3 nodes (Routers, Switches, Cloud and Links).
Define and configure network links between nodes.
Automate GNS3 topology deployment with Terraform.

Installation

Prerequisites

Terraform (>= v1.13.0)
GNS3 Server (>= v2.2.0) installed and running
GNS3 API enabled on your server

Configure the Provider

Add the following to your Terraform configuration:

terraform {
  required_providers {
    gns3 = {
      source  = "netopschic/gns3"
      version = "1.2.0"
    }
  }
}

# Configure the GNS3 provider
provider "gns3" {
  host = "http://localhost:3080"
}

Install the Provider

terraform init

Files

provider.tf: Configures the GNS3 provider.
variables.tf: Defines input variables.
main.tf: Contains resource definitions.
outputs.tf: Specifies output values.

Usage

Fetching Template_id Router

data "gns3_template_id" "router_template" {
  name = "c7200"  # Replace with the actual router template name
}

Creating a Project

resource "gns3_project" "project1" {
  name = "My-first-test-topology"
}

Creating a Router

resource "gns3_router" "router1" {
  project_id  = "your_project_id"
  name        = "Router1"
  template    = "cisco_ios"
  x           = 100
  y           = 200
}

Creating a Docker container

resource "gns3_docker" "dhcp_server" {
  project_id = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  name       = ""
  compute_id = "local"
  image      = ""

  environment = {
   
  }

  x = 500
  y = 300
}

Creating a Switch

resource "gns3_switch" "switch1" {
  project_id = gns3_project.project1.id
  name       = "Switch1"
}

Creating a Cloud

resource "gns3_cloud" "cloud1" {
  project_id = gns3_project.project1.id
  name       = "Cloud1"
}

Starting all nodes

resource "gns3_start_all" "start_nodes" {
  project_id = gns3_project.project1.id
}

Creating a Link Between Nodes

resource "gns3_link" "router1_to_switch" {
  project_id = "your_project_id"
  node_a     = gns3_node.router1.id
  node_b     = gns3_node.switch1.id
}

Example Topology (For Quick Spin!)

A basic topology connecting a router and a switch:

#############################
# Variables for Cloud & Switch Ports
#############################

# Cloud node always uses adapter 0; specify the port to use.
variable "cloud_port" {
  description = "Port on the cloud node to use for linking."
  type        = number
  default     = 0
}

# Switch port used for connection to the cloud.
variable "switch_cloud_port" {
  description = "Port on the switch to use when connecting to the cloud."
  type        = number
  default     = 0
}

#############################
# Project and Device Resources
#############################

# Create a GNS3 project
resource "gns3_project" "project1" {
  name = "demo"
}

# Data source to retrieve template ID by name
data "gns3_template_id" "router_id" {
  name = "c7200"  # Replace with your router template's name if different.
}

# Create a switch resource
resource "gns3_switch" "switch1" {
  project_id = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  name       = "Switch1"
}

# Create a cloud resource
resource "gns3_cloud" "cloud1" {
  project_id = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  name       = "Cloud1"
}

# Define four routers (renamed from node to router) positioned in a square layout
resource "gns3_router" "router1" {
  project_id  = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  template_id = data.gns3_template_id.router_id.template_id
  name        = "Router1"
  compute_id  = "local"
  x           = 100
  y           = 100
}

resource "gns3_router" "router2" {
  project_id  = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  template_id = data.gns3_template_id.router_id.template_id
  name        = "Router2"
  compute_id  = "local"
  x           = 500
  y           = 100
}

resource "gns3_router" "router3" {
  project_id  = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  template_id = data.gns3_template_id.router_id.template_id
  name        = "Router3"
  compute_id  = "local"
  x           = 500
  y           = 500
}

resource "gns3_router" "router4" {
  project_id  = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  template_id = data.gns3_template_id.router_id.template_id
  name        = "Router4"
  compute_id  = "local"
  x           = 100
  y           = 500
}

#############################
# Revised Link Resources
#############################

# Link: Cloud connects to Switch
resource "gns3_link" "link_cloud_switch" {
  project_id     = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  # Cloud: adapter is always 0; port is specified by var.cloud_port.
  node_a_id      = gns3_cloud.cloud1.id
  node_a_adapter = 0
  node_a_port    = var.cloud_port
  # Switch: for this link, use the port specified by var.switch_cloud_port.
  node_b_id      = gns3_switch.switch1.id
  node_b_adapter = 0
  node_b_port    = var.switch_cloud_port
}

# Link: Switch connects to Router1  
resource "gns3_link" "link_switch_router1" {
  project_id     = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  node_a_id      = gns3_switch.switch1.id
  node_a_adapter = 0
  node_a_port    = 1    # Switch port 1 for Router1
  # For Router1, assume its Ethernet interface is on adapter 0, port 0.
  node_b_id      = gns3_router.router1.id
  node_b_adapter = 0
  node_b_port    = 0
}

# Link: Switch connects to Router2  
resource "gns3_link" "link_switch_router2" {
  project_id     = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  node_a_id      = gns3_switch.switch1.id
  node_a_adapter = 0
  node_a_port    = 2    # Switch port 2 for Router2
  # For Router2, assume its Ethernet interface is on adapter 0, port 0.
  node_b_id      = gns3_router.router2.id
  node_b_adapter = 0
  node_b_port    = 0
}

# Link: Switch connects to Router3  
resource "gns3_link" "link_switch_router3" {
  project_id     = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  node_a_id      = gns3_switch.switch1.id
  node_a_adapter = 0
  node_a_port    = 3    # Switch port 3 for Router3
  # For Router3, assume its Ethernet interface is on adapter 0, port 0.
  node_b_id      = gns3_router.router3.id
  node_b_adapter = 0
  node_b_port    = 0
}

# Link: Switch connects to Router4  
resource "gns3_link" "link_switch_router4" {
  project_id     = gns3_project.project1.project_id
  node_a_id      = gns3_switch.switch1.id
  node_a_adapter = 0
  node_a_port    = 4    # Switch port 4 for Router4
  # For Router4, assume its Ethernet interface is on adapter 0, port 0.
  node_b_id      = gns3_router.router4.id
  node_b_adapter = 0
  node_b_port    = 0
}

#############################
# Start All Nodes Resource
#############################

resource "gns3_start_all" "start_nodes" {
  project_id = gns3_project.project1.project_id

  depends_on = [
    gns3_cloud.cloud1,
    gns3_switch.switch1,
    gns3_router.router1,
    gns3_router.router2,
    gns3_router.router3,
    gns3_router.router4,
    gns3_link.link_cloud_switch,
    gns3_link.link_switch_router1,
    gns3_link.link_switch_router2,
    gns3_link.link_switch_router3,
    gns3_link.link_switch_router4,
  ]
}

Roadmap

Improve provider stability and error handling.
Add resource for more network devices
Enhance state management

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To contribute:

Fork the repository.
Create a new feature branch.
Commit your changes.
Open a pull request.

Issues & Feedback

For issues, feature requests, or general discussion, please open a GitHub issue

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

🚀 Created & Maintained by NetOpsChic

# Packages

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