Nautobot review 2026: the free, open source network source of truth and automation platform from Network to Code, its features, licensing and alternatives.
Nautobot is an open source platform that combines a network source of truth database with a built-in automation engine, letting network teams define the intended state of their infrastructure and then run automation directly against that data. It was created by Network to Code, a network automation consultancy, as a fork of the widely used NetBox project.
Unlike a purely passive documentation tool, Nautobot is designed to be an active platform: its Jobs framework lets engineers write custom Python automation that runs inside the application, and its Git-backed configuration contexts allow infrastructure data to be version-controlled and integrated into CI/CD pipelines.
Nautobot's data model covers devices, IP addressing, circuits, racks, and locations, exposed through both a REST API and a GraphQL API. Its extensible Apps ecosystem adds capabilities like Golden Config for configuration compliance and Single Source of Truth (SSoT) synchronization with external systems.
Built on Django with a PostgreSQL or MySQL backend, Nautobot supports role-based access control, custom fields and relationships, and native Git integration, making it a flexible foundation for building custom network automation workflows.
Nautobot itself is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license, so any organization can self-host it at no licensing cost. Network to Code generates revenue instead through professional services, custom App development, training, and optional paid enterprise support and long-term support subscriptions.
There is no official managed SaaS tier; teams are expected to run Nautobot on their own infrastructure, typically via Docker or Kubernetes, and budget separately for hosting and, if desired, a Network to Code support contract.
Nautobot is used as a network source of truth and automation platform, letting network teams model infrastructure state and run automation Jobs directly against that data.
Yes, Nautobot is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license for self-hosted deployments.
Nautobot was forked from NetBox but adds a built-in Jobs automation engine, an Apps plugin ecosystem, and native Git-backed configuration contexts, making it more of an active automation platform than a passive documentation database.
Nautobot is maintained by Network to Code, a network automation consultancy founded in 2014, along with contributions from the open source community.
Yes, Network to Code offers paid enterprise support, long-term support subscriptions, and professional services for organizations running Nautobot in production.
Nautobot runs on Django and supports either a PostgreSQL or MySQL database backend.
No official multi-tenant SaaS version exists; Nautobot is typically self-hosted via Docker or Kubernetes by the adopting organization.