Installing NetBox: A Step-by-Step Guide for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS

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NetBox is a free and open-source web application designed to manage and document computer networks. It offers a browser-based interface to manage IP addresses and data center infrastructure. Developed with the Django Python framework, NetBox uses PostgreSQL for its database. With it, you can centrally manage and document virtual machines, clusters, data circuits, network, console, and power connections.

This guide will walk you through the installation of NetBox on an Ubuntu 18.04 server.

Requirements

  • An Ubuntu 18.04 server.
  • Root access configured on your server.

Getting Started

First, update your system packages to their latest versions using the following commands:

apt-get update -y
apt-get upgrade -y

After updating, restart your system to apply the changes.

Next, install the necessary dependencies for running NetBox:

apt-get install wget ca-certificates nginx supervisor git gcc python3 python3-dev python3-pip python3-setuptools build-essential libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev libffi-dev graphviz libpq-dev libssl-dev zlib1g-dev unzip -y

Install and Configure PostgreSQL

Since the latest PostgreSQL version isn’t available in the default Ubuntu 18.04 repository, you’ll first need to add the PostgreSQL repository:

Download and add the GPG key:

wget --quiet -O - https://www.postgresql.org/media/keys/ACCC4CF8.asc | apt-key add -

Add the repository:

nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/postgres.list

Include this line:

deb http://apt.postgresql.org/pub/repos/apt/ bionic-pgdg main

After saving the file, update the repository and install PostgreSQL:

apt-get update -y
apt-get install postgresql postgresql-contrib -y

Verify PostgreSQL’s status:

systemctl status postgresql

You should see something similar to:

? postgresql.service - PostgreSQL RDBMS
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/postgresql.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: active (exited) since...
   ...

Create Database and Configure NetBox in PostgreSQL

Create a database and user for NetBox:

Log into the PostgreSQL shell:

su - postgres
psql

Create a database and assign a user with permissions:

CREATE DATABASE netbox;
CREATE USER netbox WITH PASSWORD 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE netbox TO netbox;

Exit PostgreSQL:

\q
exit

Install and Configure NetBox

Clone the NetBox repository to the /opt directory:

cd /opt
git clone -b master https://github.com/digitalocean/netbox.git

Change to the NetBox directory and generate a Django secret key:

cd /opt/netbox/netbox/netbox/
./generate_secret_key.py

You will see an output similar to:

+XHR3o&7K6isFk^DLc2%rIqCanlE@zTB(jwN#tfGbV=O1hgMU$

Rename the example configuration file:

mv configuration.example.py configuration.py

Edit the configuration file to set your database credentials and secret key:

nano configuration.py

Make appropriate changes:

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['your-server-ip']
DATABASE = {
    'NAME': 'netbox',
    'USER': 'netbox',
    'PASSWORD': 'password',
    'HOST': 'localhost',
    'PORT': '',
}
SECRET_KEY = '+XHR3o&7K6isFk^DLc2%rIqCanlE@zTB(jwN#tfGbV=O1hgMU$'

Save and close the file.

Install the required Python dependencies:

pip3 install -r /opt/netbox/requirements.txt

Migrate the database:

cd /opt/netbox/netbox/
python3 manage.py migrate

Create an administrative user for NetBox:

python3 manage.py createsuperuser

Follow the prompts to enter a username and password for the administrator account.

Move static files and load initial data:

python3 manage.py collectstatic
python3 manage.py loaddata initial_data

Install and Configure Gunicorn for NetBox

Install Gunicorn using pip:

pip3 install gunicorn

Create a Gunicorn configuration file:

nano /opt/netbox/gunicorn_config.py

Add the following lines:

command = '/usr/local/bin/gunicorn'
pythonpath = '/opt/netbox/netbox'
bind = 'your-server-ip:8001'
workers = 3
user = 'www-data'

Configure Supervisor for NetBox

Create a Supervisor configuration to manage NetBox:

nano /etc/supervisor/conf.d/netbox.conf

Add the following configuration:

[program:netbox]
command = gunicorn -c /opt/netbox/gunicorn_config.py netbox.wsgi
directory = /opt/netbox/netbox/
user = www-data

Restart the Supervisor service and enable it at boot:

systemctl restart supervisor
systemctl enable supervisor

Configure Nginx for NetBox

Create an Nginx configuration file for NetBox:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/netbox

Add the following lines:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain-name;
    client_max_body_size 25m;

    location /static/ {
        alias /opt/netbox/netbox/static/;
    }

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://your-server-ip:8001;
    }
}

Enable the virtual host and restart Nginx:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/netbox /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
systemctl restart nginx

Access the NetBox Web Interface

NetBox is now ready. Access the web interface by navigating to http://your-domain.com in your browser. You should see the login page.

After logging in, you’ll be directed to the NetBox dashboard.

NetBox Dashboard

Congratulations! You’ve successfully installed and configured NetBox on Ubuntu 18.04. You can now manage your network resources centrally. If you have questions, feel free to ask.

FAQ

What is NetBox?
NetBox is an open-source web application designed to help manage and document computer networks using a browser interface. It is built on the Django Python framework and leverages PostgreSQL for database management.
Why use Gunicorn with NetBox?
Gunicorn is a Python WSGI HTTP server that allows you to run your NetBox application efficiently behind a web server, providing asynchronous processing capabilities that can manage multiple requests simultaneously.
How do I change the NetBox admin password?
You can change the admin password by accessing the Django management shell and using the createsuperuser command or by following Django’s documentation on updating user passwords from the command line.
Can I use a different database instead of PostgreSQL?
While NetBox is optimized for PostgreSQL, it may technically be possible to use other databases by modifying database backends in Django configurations. However, this will require significant effort and is not recommended or supported.
How do I backup my NetBox data?
You can back up your NetBox data by creating a dump of the PostgreSQL database using tools like `pg_dump` and ensuring the static file directories are also backed up.