netbox-plugin-development

name	netbox-plugin-development
description	How to build NetBox plugins — models, views, REST/GraphQL APIs, forms, tables, filtersets, navigation, template extensions, testing, and packaging. Use this skill when creating, modifying, or debugging a NetBox plugin targeting v4.5+.
license	Apache-2.0

NetBox Plugin Development

Your knowledge of NetBox plugin APIs may be outdated. Base classes, mixins, template tags, and registration patterns change between NetBox releases. Prefer retrieval over pre-trained knowledge.

Retrieval Sources

Source	URL / Method	Use for
Plugin development docs	https://netboxlabs.com/docs/netbox/plugins/development/	Plugin framework reference
NetBox repo	https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox	Base classes, mixins, current APIs
NetBox release notes	https://netboxlabs.com/docs/netbox/release-notes/	Breaking changes, new plugin features
Example plugins	https://github.com/netbox-community	Community plugin patterns

Build plugins that extend NetBox with custom models, views, APIs, and UI elements. Target: NetBox 4.5–4.6 / Python 3.12–3.14. Note the Django split: NetBox 4.5 runs on Django 5.2, NetBox 4.6 on Django 6.0 — code, migrations, and third-party deps must be Django 6.0-compatible when targeting 4.6+.

For REST API client patterns (pagination, filtering, tokens), see netbox-api-integration.

---

Quick Reference — Key Imports

# Models
from netbox.models import NetBoxModel          # base for all plugin models
from netbox.models import PrimaryModel         # adds description + comments (4.5+)
from netbox.models import OrganizationalModel  # name/slug/description/comments (4.5+)

# Views
from netbox.views.generic import (ObjectListView, ObjectView, ObjectEditView,
    ObjectDeleteView, BulkImportView, BulkEditView, BulkDeleteView)
from utilities.views import register_model_view, ViewTab

# Forms
from netbox.forms import NetBoxModelForm, NetBoxModelBulkEditForm
from netbox.forms import NetBoxModelFilterSetForm, NetBoxModelImportForm

# Tables
from netbox.tables import NetBoxTable, columns

# FilterSets
from netbox.filtersets import NetBoxModelFilterSet
from django_filters import FilterSet  # for @register_filterset

# REST API
from netbox.api.serializers import NetBoxModelSerializer
from netbox.api.viewsets import NetBoxModelViewSet
from netbox.api.routers import NetBoxRouter

# Navigation
from netbox.plugins import PluginMenu, PluginMenuItem, PluginMenuButton

---

1. Plugin Structure & Setup

Package Layout

netbox_myplugin/
├── __init__.py              # PluginConfig + config variable
├── version.py               # __version__ = '1.0.0'
├── models.py                # Django models (NetBoxModel subclasses)
├── views.py                 # UI views
├── tables.py                # django-tables2 table classes
├── forms.py                 # Model, bulk edit, filter, import forms
├── filtersets.py            # FilterSet classes
├── navigation.py            # Menu items (auto-discovered)
├── search.py                # Search indexes (auto-discovered)
├── graphql/                 # Strawberry GraphQL schema
│   ├── schema.py            # Query class (auto-discovered)
│   ├── types.py
│   └── filters.py
├── api/
│   ├── urls.py              # NetBoxRouter config
│   ├── views.py             # API ViewSets
│   └── serializers.py
├── templates/netbox_myplugin/
│   └── myplugin_model.html  # Detail view templates
├── template_content.py      # Template extensions (auto-discovered)
└── tests/
    ├── test_models.py
    ├── test_views.py
    ├── test_api.py
    └── test_forms.py

PluginConfig (__init__.py)

from netbox.plugins import PluginConfig
from .version import __version__

class MyPluginConfig(PluginConfig):
    name = 'netbox_myplugin'
    verbose_name = 'My Plugin'
    description = 'Adds custom functionality to NetBox'
    version = __version__
    author = 'Your Name'
    author_email = '[e-mail]'
    base_url = 'myplugin'               # URL prefix under /plugins/
    min_version = '4.5.0'
    max_version = '4.6.99'              # span 4.5–4.6; use .99 to allow patch releases
    default_settings = {'feature_x': True}
    required_settings = []

    def ready(self):
        super().ready()
        from . import signals  # deferred imports to avoid circular deps

config = MyPluginConfig  # MUST be module-level variable named 'config'

Auto-discovery: NetBox automatically discovers modules at navigation.menu, navigation.menu_items, template_content.template_extensions, search.indexes, graphql.schema, and more. No manual registration needed for these.

---

2. Models

Subclass NetBoxModel for full feature support (tags, custom fields, change logging, bookmarks, journaling, export templates, event rules, notifications).

from django.db import models
from django.urls import reverse
from netbox.models import NetBoxModel

class AccessList(NetBoxModel):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    device = models.ForeignKey(
        to='dcim.Device',
        on_delete=models.CASCADE,
        related_name='%(app_label)s_access_lists',  # avoid FK collisions
    )
    type = models.CharField(max_length=50, choices=AccessListTypeChoices)

    class Meta:
        ordering = ['name']
        unique_together = ('device', 'name')

    def __str__(self):
        return self.name

    def get_absolute_url(self):
        return reverse('plugins:netbox_myplugin:accesslist', args=[self.pk])

4.5+: PrimaryModel (description + comments) and OrganizationalModel (name/slug/description/comments, enforces unique name+slug) are now part of the plugins API. Use them when your model fits those patterns.

Key gotchas:

• Use %(app_label)s_ prefix on related_name to avoid FK collisions across plugins
• Reference core models as strings ('dcim.Device') in ForeignKey fields
• Always define get_absolute_url() — follows plugins:<plugin_name>:<model_name> pattern
• Permissions format: netbox_myplugin.view_accesslist, .add_accesslist, etc.

See references/model-patterns.md for base class hierarchy, mixins, choices patterns, and migration tips.

---

3. Views

Use the @register_model_view decorator for standard CRUD views:

from netbox.views.generic import (
    ObjectListView, ObjectView, ObjectEditView, ObjectDeleteView,
    BulkImportView, BulkEditView, BulkDeleteView
)
from utilities.views import register_model_view, ViewTab
from .models import AccessList
from .tables import AccessListTable
from .forms import AccessListForm, AccessListFilterForm, AccessListBulkEditForm
from .filtersets import AccessListFilterSet

@register_model_view(AccessList, 'list')
class AccessListListView(ObjectListView):
    queryset = AccessList.objects.all()
    table = AccessListTable
    filterset = AccessListFilterSet
    filterset_form = AccessListFilterForm

@register_model_view(AccessList)
class AccessListView(ObjectView):
    queryset = AccessList.objects.all()

@register_model_view(AccessList, 'edit')
class AccessListEditView(ObjectEditView):
    queryset = AccessList.objects.all()
    form = AccessListForm

@register_model_view(AccessList, 'delete')
class AccessListDeleteView(ObjectDeleteView):
    queryset = AccessList.objects.all()

URL Configuration (urls.py)

from netbox.views.generic import get_model_urls
from . import models

urlpatterns = get_model_urls('netbox_myplugin', models)

Extending Core Model Views with Tabs

@register_model_view(Device, 'access_lists', path='access-lists')
class DeviceAccessListsView(ObjectChildrenView):
    queryset = Device.objects.all()
    child_model = AccessList
    table = AccessListTable
    tab = ViewTab(label='Access Lists', badge=lambda obj: obj.accesslists.count())

See references/views-and-api.md for all view classes and URL patterns.

---

4. REST API

Serializer

from netbox.api.serializers import NetBoxModelSerializer
from ..models import AccessList

class AccessListSerializer(NetBoxModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = AccessList
        fields = ('id', 'url', 'display', 'name', 'device', 'type',
                  'tags', 'custom_fields', 'created', 'last_updated')
        brief_fields = ('id', 'url', 'display', 'name')  # for nested representation

ViewSet

from netbox.api.viewsets import NetBoxModelViewSet
from ..models import AccessList
from ..filtersets import AccessListFilterSet
from .serializers import AccessListSerializer

class AccessListViewSet(NetBoxModelViewSet):
    queryset = AccessList.objects.all()
    serializer_class = AccessListSerializer
    filterset_class = AccessListFilterSet

Router (api/urls.py)

from netbox.api.routers import NetBoxRouter
from . import views

router = NetBoxRouter()
router.register('access-lists', views.AccessListViewSet)
urlpatterns = router.urls

API URL naming: plugins-api:netbox_myplugin-api:accesslist-detail (this matters for HyperlinkedIdentityField on serializers).

See references/views-and-api.md for GraphQL, nested serializers, and advanced API patterns.

---

5. Forms, Tables & FilterSets

Model Form

from netbox.forms import NetBoxModelForm
from utilities.forms.fields import DynamicModelChoiceField
from utilities.forms.rendering import FieldSet
from dcim.models import Device
from .models import AccessList

class AccessListForm(NetBoxModelForm):
    device = DynamicModelChoiceField(queryset=Device.objects.all())

    fieldsets = (
        FieldSet('name', 'device', 'type'),
        FieldSet('tags', name='Tags'),
    )

    class Meta:
        model = AccessList
        fields = ('name', 'device', 'type', 'tags')

Table

from netbox.tables import NetBoxTable, columns

class AccessListTable(NetBoxTable):
    name = columns.LinkColumn()
    device = columns.LinkColumn()
    type = columns.ChoiceFieldColumn()
    tags = columns.TagColumn()

    class Meta(NetBoxTable.Meta):
        model = AccessList
        fields = ('pk', 'name', 'device', 'type', 'tags')
        default_columns = ('name', 'device', 'type')

FilterSet

from netbox.filtersets import NetBoxModelFilterSet
from utilities.filters import register_filterset
from .models import AccessList

@register_filterset  # 4.5+: enables lookup modifiers in UI
class AccessListFilterSet(NetBoxModelFilterSet):
    class Meta:
        model = AccessList
        fields = ('name', 'device', 'type')

    def search(self, queryset, name, value):
        """Required for ?q= parameter to work."""
        return queryset.filter(name__icontains=value)

4.5+: The @register_filterset decorator is required for lookup modifiers (e.g., name__ic, device_id__n) to appear in the UI filter forms.

See references/forms-tables-filtersets.md for bulk edit forms, import forms, filter form widgets, and all field types.

---

6. Navigation

# navigation.py — auto-discovered
from netbox.plugins import PluginMenu, PluginMenuItem, PluginMenuButton

menu = PluginMenu(
    label='My Plugin',
    icon_class='mdi mdi-shield-lock',
    groups=(
        ('Access Control', (
            PluginMenuItem(
                link='plugins:netbox_myplugin:accesslist_list',
                link_text='Access Lists',
                permissions=['netbox_myplugin.view_accesslist'],
                buttons=(
                    PluginMenuButton(
                        link='plugins:netbox_myplugin:accesslist_add',
                        title='Add',
                        icon_class='mdi mdi-plus-thick',
                        permissions=['netbox_myplugin.add_accesslist'],
                    ),
                ),
            ),
        )),
    ),
)

---

7. Template Extensions

Two approaches — use ViewTab (modern) for tab-based extensions, or PluginTemplateExtension for injecting content into existing pages:

# template_content.py
from netbox.plugins import PluginTemplateExtension

class DeviceAccessInfo(PluginTemplateExtension):
    models = ['dcim.device']  # list of strings, not model classes; None = global

    def right_page(self):
        return self.render('netbox_myplugin/inc/device_access.html', extra_context={
            'access_lists': self.context['object'].accesslists.all()
        })

template_extensions = [DeviceAccessInfo]

Available methods: head(), navbar(), list_buttons(), buttons(), alerts(), left_page(), right_page(), full_width_page().

---

8. Testing

from django.test import TestCase
from utilities.testing import APITestCase
from .models import AccessList

class AccessListAPITest(APITestCase):
    model = AccessList

    def setUp(self):
        self.device = Device.objects.create(name='test-device', ...)
        self.access_list = AccessList.objects.create(
            name='test-acl', device=self.device, type='standard'
        )

    def test_list(self):
        url = reverse('plugins-api:netbox_myplugin-api:accesslist-list')
        response = self.client.get(url, **self.header)
        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)

See references/testing-guide.md for fixtures, view tests, form tests, and CI setup.

---

9. Packaging

Use pyproject.toml (modern) or setup.py:

[project]
name = "netbox-myplugin"
version = "1.0.0"
dependencies = ["netbox>=4.5.0,<4.7"]   # span 4.5–4.6

[project.entry-points."netbox.plugins"]
netbox_myplugin = "netbox_myplugin:config"

Note: The entry point key must match PluginConfig.name and point to the module-level config variable.

See references/packaging.md for versioning strategy, publishing to PyPI, and version compatibility matrix.

---

10. Common Gotchas

1. config must be module-level in __init__.py — not inside a function
2. FK related_name collisions — prefix with %(app_label)s_ when multiple plugins target the same core model
3. URL namespace — views: plugins:<plugin>:<view>, API: plugins-api:<plugin>-api:<basename>-detail
4. Missing search() on filterset — ?q= won't work without it
5. models on TemplateExtension — must be list of 'app.model' strings, not classes; None = global
6. Heavy imports in __init__.py — use ready() for signals and deferred imports (fixed in 4.5.2 but still best practice)
7. max_version too strict — use '4.6.99' (or your top minor's .99) not '4.5.0' to allow patches
8. GraphQL uses Strawberry since 4.0 — Graphene patterns will not work
9. @register_filterset (4.5+) — without it, lookup modifiers won't appear in UI
10. Permissions — format is <plugin_name>.view_<model>, <plugin_name>.add_<model>, etc. Custom actions (4.6.0+): declare extra actions via your model's Meta.permissions; NetBox auto-registers them as actions selectable in the ObjectPermission form (preferred over ad-hoc permission checks).

---

Version Notes

NetBox 4.6 (2026)

• Django 6.0 (was 5.2 in 4.5) — ensure code, migrations, and dependencies are Django 6.0-compatible; set min_version='4.6.0' for any plugin using 4.6-only APIs below
• Declarative view layouts / reusable UI components — from netbox.ui import layout (Layout/Row/Column); the modern alternative to hand-written detail templates (requires NetBox ≥4.6.0)
• Custom model actions / permissions via Meta.permissions — declare them on your model's Meta; NetBox auto-registers them as actions selectable in the ObjectPermission form
• Custom serializer resolvers for get_serializer_for_model() (4.6.2) — register a resolver to control serializer lookup
• Security: ExportTemplate/ConfigTemplate environment_params RCE (CVE-2026-29514) fixed in 4.6.1 — the allowlist blocks extensions/finalize/loader/bytecode_cache
• Deprecations to avoid: DEFAULT_ACTION_PERMISSIONS, legacy view actions, the internal registry models key, the custom querystring template tag, and OptionalLimitOffsetPagination

NetBox 4.5 (2026-01-06)

• Python 3.12+ required (dropped 3.10/3.11); Django 5.2
• PrimaryModel, OrganizationalModel, NestedGroupModel now in plugins API
• @register_filterset decorator enables UI lookup modifiers
• OwnerMixin available for object ownership
• Breaking: GraphQL filter syntax requires lookup modifiers for IDs/enums

NetBox 4.4 (2025-09-02)

• Background job logging: self.logger.info() in job methods
• ObjectAction for custom individual/bulk operations on views
• register_model_feature() for plugins to register custom model features
• ArrayColumn support in tables