Source and Version Control

Let's take a look at the role of source control, version control, and branching in the network automation process.

Source control

Here is a way of looking at source control, in the context of the network as code: if only code from the master branch is deployed to the network, the state of the network at any given point in time is known. If there are no out-of-band changes, the entire history and evolution of the network are captured in the master branch history. It’s extremely important to control this source code, given the blast radius that a problem on the network can have. Locking the master branch, forcing working branches for all changes, implementing strong RBAC, and utilizing pull requests that require outside approvals, are all forms of source control.

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