The NAF Network Automation Framework, created by the Network Automation Forum (NAF), marks a critical shift in how modern network engineering teams design and scale their systems. Introduced by practitioners to solve the industry’s historical reliance on fragile, ad-hoc scripting, the framework acts as a modular, vendor-neutral reference architecture.
Instead of focusing on specific tools (e.g., Ansible vs. Python scripts), it forces organizations to focus on functional building blocks to design predictable and trustworthy network automation stacks. Why the NAF Framework Matters
Historically, network operations (NetOps) teams have built automated setups from scratch, often repeating mistakes and getting stuck in the trap of “reinventing the wheel”. The NAF framework demystifies this process by establishing a shared mental model and common lexicon. This ensures teams talk the same language across different organizational boundaries and vendor tools. The 6 Core Building Blocks
The framework breaks a resilient network automation system down into six modular, composable functions:
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