routedconf

Routedconf is a declarative configuration language and accompanying toolchain designed for defining and deploying routing configurations on network devices. It aims to provide a vendor-neutral abstraction for common routing protocols and policies, enabling automated provisioning, versioning, and auditing of large-scale networks.

The design emphasizes predictability, reproducibility, and safety. Routedconf supports routing primitives such as static routes and redistribution, and protocols including OSPF, OSPFv3, BGP, and interior gateway protocols. It also includes policy expressions for route filtering, route maps, communities, and prefix-lists, along with abstract concepts like routing tables and VRFs. Configurations can be authored in a declarative syntax and validated before deployment to prevent misconfigurations.

The toolchain comprises a parser, a validator, and a backend translator. The parser reads Routedconf documents and builds an in-memory model of the desired state. The validator checks for syntax errors, policy conflicts, and cross-device dependencies. The backend translates the model into device-specific configurations or API calls, supporting NETCONF/RESTCONF, SSH-based CLI, or vendor backends, enabling multi-vendor operation.

Typical usage involves writing Routedconf files, storing them in version control, running automated tests in a staging environment, and applying changes in a controlled, transactional manner. Changes can be rolled back if validation or deployment fails.

Routedconf is used in data centers and cloud networks to reduce operational drift and to streamline change management. It is part of a broader ecosystem of network automation tools and is often used alongside orchestration and monitoring platforms. See also: Netconf, Restconf, NAPALM, Ansible, YAML.