A new NetScaler utility, nsconf2iac, simplifies the conversion of NetScaler configurations into infrastructure-as-code (IaC). With nsconf2iac, you can instantly transform your NetScaler configuration files into Terraform and Ansible templates with a single command, eliminating the need for tedious manual conversion.
For NetScaler admins who aren’t proficient in IaC, the introduction of the nsconf2iac utility eases the transition to deploying and managing NetScaler as code. By deploying NetScaler application delivery controllers (ADCs) with IaC, you can automate the deployment and management of your NetScaler ADC infrastructure and easily scale it.
The automation capabilities afforded by the nsconf2iac utility ensure consistency, repeatability, and fewer errors in ADC infrastructure deployments.
Automating ADC deployments with IaC drives modern application development
DevOps and platform engineering have fundamentally changed how IT organizations develop software and manage infrastructure by embracing collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement. Modern application development emphasizes rapid iteration and deployment. IaC automates the rapid provisioning and scaling of ADC infrastructure that enables high-performing and highly secure application delivery, allowing teams to deploy applications faster. This agility is crucial for organizations that need to respond quickly to changing business requirements.
The benefits for DevOps and platform engineering teams in adopting IaC to automate the provisioning and management of NetScaler ADCs include:
- Declarative configuration: IaC automates the provisioning and configuration of ADC infrastructure using a declarative approach, meaning you define the desired state of your infrastructure, not the steps to achieve it. This is a significant advantage over imperative automation scripts, which require you to specify every step. IaC tools handle the “how,” making your code more concise and less error prone.
- Consistency and repeatability: By defining infrastructure in code, IaC ensures that environments are consistently configured across on-premises and cloud.
- Version control: IaC allows infrastructure configurations to be version-controlled, just like application code. This enables teams to track changes, roll back to previous versions, and maintain an audit trail.
- Faster and more reliable deployments: IaC accelerates the deployment process by automating ADC infrastructure provisioning, which leads to faster release cycles due to predictable and repeatable deployments.
- Improved collaboration: IaC facilitates collaboration between development, operations, and security teams by providing a shared, code-based representation of ADC infrastructure.
- Scalability: IaC makes it easier to scale ADC infrastructure up or down as needed, enabling organizations to respond quickly to changing demands.
While the adoption of IaC often necessitates upskilling in coding practices, it’s a worthwhile investment that fosters innovation because it frees you up to focus on developing and delivering modern applications rather than spending valuable time in the weeds of ADC configuration.
The business value of managing NetScaler deployments with IaC
The nsconf2iac utility is a game-changer for organizations looking to more fully automate their NetScaler deployments. It empowers DevOps and platform engineering teams to quickly and accurately generate Terraform and Ansible templates for existing NetScaler configurations to deploy NetScaler ADCs as code. Key benefits include:
- Faster NetScaler configuration using IaC: Eliminate manual NetScaler configuration to free up time for strategic priorities.
- Reduced costs and time-to-market: Free up valuable engineering resources and significantly reduce the time spent on configuration conversion.
- Improved accuracy and consistency: Minimize errors associated with manual translation and ensure consistent configurations across your environments.
- Enhanced collaboration: Foster better collaboration between development and operations teams by providing a common, easily understood IaC format.
How the IaC configuration utility for NetScaler works
A lightweight utility, nsconf2iac accelerates automation initiatives by reducing the manual effort of NetScaler configuration management and fostering seamless collaboration between development and operations teams.
The nsconf2iac utility is written in Python because of its widespread availability and ease of use. The standalone utility runs offline, and you can execute it directly from your machine, eliminating the need for specific system installations of NetScaler and NetScaler Console and NetScaler configuration file uploads to external services like NetScaler Console Service.
You have the flexibility to execute the utility using any machine that has Python installed. As part of the configuration conversion process, NetScaler validates the conversion with a running ADC to make sure that the template is executable and that the configuration does not contain misconfigurations or errors that can break the ADC and lead to security issues.
Next steps: Get the utility on GitHub and contribute
We believe in the power of open source and community collaboration. Building on the success of our open Terraform and Ansible integrations, we’ve made nsconf2iac available on GitHub.
To request an invitation to join our GitHub repository and help us shape the future of the nsconf2iac utility, email netscaler-automationtoolkit@cloud.com.